Care and loss

I remember this little girl from a few months back when she first came through Toronto Animal Services. She was returned to Toronto Animal Services a couple of days ago because her owner is critically ill.

I don't know the situation outside of that. I don't know about any family or friends who might have been able to step in and take care of the dog. Maybe they weren't there. Maybe they were but didn't feel like having any added responsibility. Either way, it must make a terrible situation even worse knowing that the pet you love is left homeless because you're no longer able to take care of it.

I often wonder about the relationship between older people and their pets. It's no news that in our increasingly self absorbed society many of our elders are left isolated without a strong network of friends and family to rely on for emotional support. Many turn to their pets in place of the comfort of a close biological family. That bond must be exceptional then, replacing the emotional ties that had been lost.

In my neighbourhood, I've known a few older people and their dogs. It's obvious that it's a greater effort for them to get up and out everyday to take their dogs for a walk but they do it because they take care of things they cherish as best they can. It's always sad, though, when I no longer see them.

There used to be a woman, maybe in her seventies, who went to the dog park with her chubby black poodle. She adored the dog but every so often she would let loose a piercing scream at it whenever it wandered too far away. I see them no more.

There used to be another woman, even older, frail and bent, and she had a white Shih Tzu that had an open sore in its side. She'd brought it to the vet but couldn't afford the cost of the treatment so she was asked to leave. I see them no more.

Though the relationship may be necessary and strong between the older person and their pet, their situation sometimes seems so fragile. It makes their bond that much more precious.