Pets can cure ‘senior blues’

Q. We’re having another woeful winter; friends are all sick with flu or suffering bad colds. Others dodder about in depressed states. Any suggestions for curbing this outbreak of ‘‘senior blues?”
A. Pet therapy is what you folks need. Meaning, a mature dog who is in search of a good home. In return you’ll receive abundant and abiding love. Actress Jamie Lee Curtis, writing in the introduction to ‘‘Second Chances: More Tales of Found Dogs’’ (The Lyons Press, 2003), a new book about animal adoptions, says directly:
‘‘Open your heart and invite a found dog into your home. It just might be the most important friendship of that dog’s life. And yours.’’
Best-selling author Peter Mayle suggests: ‘‘When you adopt a dog, very little is certain — except of course that you will be giving him (the dog) a better life. And, he will be doing the same for you.’’
Now, the history and rationale behind this prescription for contentment, if not joy:
Keenly and painfully aware of what she calls ‘‘the tragedy of pet overpopulation,’’ (more than 3 million dogs are put to death each year) activist Elsie Lufkin, of Idaho, authored a 1997 book about people and their adopted pets. Calling her work, ‘‘Found Dogs, Tales of Strays Who Landed on Their Feet’’ (Howell Book House), the project celebrated caring people who visited animal shelters to adopt abandoned or rejected animals.
Once these creatures were given shelter, and love, they again became lords, kings and inspirers, even healers. To everyone’s pleasant surprise, the book, graced with Diana Walker’s beguiling black and white photographs, was a signal success. Six years later, the same team offers ‘‘Second Chances.’’ (Again, profits will be donated to animal shelters and animal welfare organizations.)
There are 86 dog-lovers featured in the collection of second chances, but know that throughout the dogs receive top billing. So, even though actress Jamie Lee Curtis, dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, University of Miami President Donna Shalala, designer Oscar de la Renta and a gaggle of writers are introduced, it is dog names that headline each page. Thus, we are invited to read of Popsicle, Sweetie, Minnie Mouse, Sage, Jet A. Dawg, Hattie Cakes, Peter Pandemonium and Bobby Blue.
Here, then, are a pair of matches, joining a found dog with an owner willing to confess he or she is better off, thanks to that new friend-for-life:
n To honor her late father, Nova Lee named her new dog ‘‘Harry.’’  Lee, who describes herself as a nail technician (she works in a beauty parlor), struggled to overcome problems with alcohol.
‘‘I call Harry my sobriety dog,’’ she says. ‘‘I’ve been in a program a year and a half. I couldn’t have done it without this dog. … I knew I had to stay sober to take care of Harry. I made a commitment, and after all, Harry is the best friend I’ve had — in my whole entire life.’’
What’s Harry like? Well, he loves to swim underwater: ‘‘He stays under so long people think he’s going to drown. … Harry also loves to dance. That dog can waltz like nobody else. When the music goes on, he looks at me as if to say, ‘Hey, they’re playing our song.’’’
Nova Lee further explains how she never told her father she loved him. She believes today each time she repeats, ‘‘Harry, I love you,’’ that somehow, somewhere ‘‘my father hears it.’’
n Owner Peter Howe, a photographer, along with Bobby Blue, a rescued Samoyed, regularly visit pediatric patients hospitalized with brain tumors or recovering from spinal surgery. Security guards, nurses, other staff all say, ‘‘Hi, Bobby Blue.’’ Mr. Blue of course is wearing his very own photo pass. Inside the wards, kid patients pet and shake hands with the handsome, 7-year-old ‘‘fluffy toy that moves.’’
‘‘These kids are going through a terrible time,’’ says Peter Howe. ‘‘Yet, they have such spirit; and Bobby helps them. Samoyeds originally were bred in Siberia, where one of their duties was to guard the children. You could say,’’ he adds, ‘‘Bobby Blue is genetically programmed for his mission.’’
(Bobby’s visits are arranged by the Good Dog Foundation. For more on the foundation, and Animal Assisted Therapy, visit the Web site:
www.thegooddogfoundation.org.)
Prime Notes: The quote for the week: ‘‘Properly trained, a man can be dog’s best friend.’’ Author Corey Ford said it … Fact: some 7 percent of all Peace Corps volunteers are age 50 or older … Sobering news: The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports: ‘‘Middle age spread seems to be an inevitable consequence (of aging).’’ …Meantime, surfing (riding the waves) is a growing California sport among seniors, encouraged by an hour-long documentary, ‘‘Surfing for Life.’’ The film by David L. Brown features surfers from 60-94 … Oprah at 50 (January 29) is worth $1.1 billion, according to AARP magazine … Lastly, this from author/editor Frances Lear: ‘‘The myth of money, of course, is that women don’t know how to handle it, as if money had a gender.’’
Bard Lindeman welcomes questions from readers. Although he cannot respond to each one individually, he will answer those of general interest in his column. Write to Bard at 5428 Oxbow Road, Stone Mountain, GA 30087-1228; fax to 404-815-5787; or send e-mail to belindema@earthlink.net. <-->