DOGS IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE

Chaucer

Published Monday, August 11, 1997

Animal Crackers: Dogs can improve our quality of
life

Katie Ward

It was just one of those days that we all have now and then. Nothing was going right.
Everything I started ended up in a complete disaster. My Net access was down and my
column was going nowhere with a deadline looming on the horizon. The roofers were
driving me crazy with all of the pounding and the weather was not cooperating. By noon, I
pushed my chair away from my desk, threw my hands up in the air with a loud sigh and an
expletive and pronounced the day a washout.

That was all it took. Before I could start pounding my forehead with my fists, my two
canine companions were competing over who was going to try and get up in my lap first.
Four front feet danced around my legs with tails wagging faster than a flag in a hurricane.
The tongues lapping at my face tipped me over the edge and before I knew it I was
convulsing with laughter. And the more I laughed, the harder they worked at making me
laugh. Finally, I just slipped down to the floor and immediately was smothered in fur, feet
and tails, completely unable to protect myself from this lively attack of happiness brought
on by my own despair.

This, at least in part, is what having a pet is all about. My dogs have the ability to help me
put my life in perspective. And their timing is always impeccable.

Some years back when I owned a Doberman (Duke), I was hit hard with the flu. My
husband was on a business trip and due back just before dinner. As the day went on I
grew more sick and finally dragged myself upstairs tumbling into bed. Duke promptly
positioned himself as sentry at the bottom of the bed and didn't budge. I was too sick and
in too much pain to go downstairs to feed him and let him out. My husband's flight was
delayed and he didn't get home until much later that night. When he walked in the door,
Duke let out a couple of barks but stayed on the bed until my husband made his way to
the bedroom. Then, like a flash, Duke went down the stairs in one leap because he
desperately needed to go out.

I've learned many things from incidents like this and one of them is that my relationship with
my dogs is one of total involvement. For instance, I let my dogs sniff everything from the
groceries to packages that arrive at the door. If a major event is going to take place, I
prepare them by explaining what will happen. Melodie runs our house, our lives, and
Chaucer. When the roofers came, she set about letting each one know whose house this
was. Once she had this conversation, she didn't bark at that person again. As the days
went on, she checked them out every morning. If a new worker was introduced, she went
through the barking mode and then trotted off to her corner to sleep. But she checked
each of them off her list each morning and each afternoon after their lunch break. Whether
you realize it or not, dogs are fully integrated with our daily lives. From the first day they
come into our house we talk to them. And the more you do this, the greater their
understanding of your vocabulary. Yes, I know, it sounds rather outrageous, but it's the
truth. Every dog has the potential to develop its thinking capacity to the max if you allow
and encourage it.

Research indicates that most animals understand emotion and have compassion. When
pets show compassion and seem to understand, you, in turn have more of a tendency to
communicate with them and it becomes an established cycle. Perhaps this is why pets are
now taken into nursing homes.

When my mother-in-law was in a nursing home, the staff encouraged me to bring my two
goldens in to visit her as she had always loved seeing them at home. Our first visit was on
leash. The facility was constructed like a wheel with a hub and halls like the spokes. She
was as delighted to see them as they were to see her. Subsequent visits, without leashes,
found the dogs heading down the right hall every time and into her room, placing their front
paws immediately up on the bed to greet her. As time went on, more and more of the
residents looked forward to our visits and the dogs developed a routine of visiting certain
rooms. The staff saw tremendous changes in a number of the patients.

Many nursing homes now have pets on the premises and a number of humane societies
around the country routinely give pets to senior citizens living alone to help improve the
quality of lives and extend their independence.

One of the most rewarding ways I've seen dogs used is in working with depressed or
non-reactive patients. Therapists are finding that many patients who hardly ever smiled will
respond when a dog enters the room. Dogs are especially useful in helping people to
express themselves and become more in touch with their emotions. Researchers are also
finding dogs useful in working with stroke patients and quadriplegics.

Many dogs risk their lives daily to help police track and apprehend criminals. They sniff
out bombs and illegal drugs. They search for bodies in rivers. They have been known to
pull children from burning homes, save people from drowning, locate missing children, alert
owners to leaking gas. The list goes on and on.

Despite all these examples, surely we can't help but raise questions about animal
intelligence, instincts, and compassion levels that we may have not given much thought to
previously. That is why I give all of my dogs the opportunity to live out their lives to the
fullest. I feel that is the least I can do for what they give me in return. Daily they improve
the quality of my life. They are always there when I need them. My dogs never criticize
me, never complain, never yell at me. They are patient, understanding, and always
forgiving. I can't say that about many humans.

So, as I sit at my desk working on an assignment, my frustrations start to build, my writing
isn't going the way I intended, the phone is ringing off the hook, my client is imposing
deadlines on the manual, the roofers are giving me a throbbing headache, my husband
wants me to drop everything and write a business letter, and the road grader is starting
work on our road out front. I lean back and call Chaucer. Before I know it, a cold, wet
nose pushes its way under my hand. I pet him and talk to him for a few minutes. The
muscles in my back start to relax, the head doesn't feel as tight, the tenseness in my neck is
fading, my eyes wander off to pictures next to my desk of my past canine heroes and I can
literally feel my blood pressure going down. "Come on, Chaucer, it's time for a Charlee
Bear as your reward." What would I do without you my friend?

Thought for the day

Owning a pet is the best thing about being human. No other animal takes a
completely different species into its home, providing food and shelter, just for the
pleasure of its company.