That time of year thou mayst in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
Bare ruin'd choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
In me thou seest the twilight of such day
As after sunset fadeth in the west,
Which by and by black night doth take away,
Death's second self, that seals up all in rest.
In me thou see'st the glowing of such fire
That on the ashes of his youth doth lie,
As the death-bed whereon it must expire
Consumed with that which it was nourish'd by.
This thou perceivest, which makes thy love more strong,
To love that well which thou must leave ere long.....

—William Shakespeare, Sonnet #73....

.. ..

Shakespeare, in his famous sonnet about old age, describes the special bond of love we feel when our friends, our family, our loved ones, and, yes, even our old dogs approach the end of their lives; when the cold winds of autumn give way to winter; when the last light of the setting sun dips below the horizon to the still darkness of night.

.. ..

It takes a special person to adopt a dog already in the twilight of his years. Even though old dogs come with endless love and boundless gratitude, they also come with warts and lumps and graying muzzles—all signs that time is short though love is long. When we open our hearts to an old dog in need, we know that our friend will leave us before we are ready to let go, but we also know that our time with our old friend will be all the more precious.

.. ..

We often talk about the many amazing accomplishments of old dogs. Many become therapy dogs, bringing comfort to those in need; others serve as search and rescue dogs or service dogs, serving the community and helping us live fulfilling lives. But we don’t often talk about the most important job of all, a job that each and every old dog can do well, the job of being a friend, of returning our unconditional love tenfold. An adopted old dog can be your walking partner, encouraging you to share fresh air and exercise with him. She can be your couch partner, waiting to cuddle with you and watch an old movie on a cold, lonely night; she may even share a bite of your popcorn. Your old dog can be a sympathetic ear when you need to talk through a problem or make an important decision. His calm, cheerful approach to life can ease you out of depression. She will be a faithful companion, loyal and loving, always glad to see you and always ready to share her enthusiasm for life with you.

.. ..

Adopting an old dog is not for everyone, but it is one of the most rewarding experiences imaginable for those who do. Both you and your old dog know that you have ventured where many fear to go. You have offered your love and your heart to an abandoned old dog in need, a dog overlooked for adoption time and again, a dog who will repay your love with endless devotion. As your relationship deepens, both you and your old dog will embrace the timeless wisdom of Shakespeare: “to love that well which thou must leave ere long.” May you be privileged to share the love of an old dog.....

.. ..

To foster or adopt a deserving old dog, to volunteer, or just to learn more about the vital work of The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs, visit our web site at www.sanctuaryforseniordogs.org or call 216.485.9233.

.. ..

© 2009....

Skinny, old Coonhound. Blind and deaf. Loves to be touched. Abandoned on Jones Road in the rain. Time is up on Thursday.

Heartworm positive ancient Black Lab with infected eye. Owner surrender at the pound. Depressed and confused. Time is up today.

Every day The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs receives many requests to save old dogs. The written descriptions are often accompanied by photos of once beautiful, once valued, once confident old dogs whose eyes now reflect fear, confusion, deep sorrow, and sometimes even suspicion of those trying to help.

At the Sanctuary, we are committed to saving old dogs, including those with little to no chance of being adopted—old dogs with cancer, glaucoma, kidney disease; old dogs that, though blind, deaf, disabled, and infirm, find themselves abandoned in the cold confines of a dog pound or adrift on a city street.

People often ask why we keep sick old dogs with little time left, why we don’t simply put them down humanely to make room for old dogs in better health with better chances of being placed, old dogs with a "future," as one critic put it. There are no easy answers to this question.

The answer, if one really exists, lies in the story of dogs like Jasper and Poutie. Jasper, a 16-year-old Husky mix kept in a wood and wire pen her whole life, was finally relinquished to an area shelter with a raging bladder infection, cancer, and a host of other ailments that had long gone untreated. She came to my own foster home where she was reunited with her sibling Poutie, who had come to us a few months earlier in equally deplorable condition. When they were reunited, Jasper and Poutie literally encircled each other with their paws. Their joy in each other’s company knew no bounds. Neither would be adopted; neither had long to live, but both suddenly had so much to live for and found so much joy in living. They were never far from each other; they ate together, slept curled up together in their own special room, and walked happily in old lady circles around each other in the yard. They were free, and they were loved. When Jasper crossed the Bridge just two short weeks after coming to the Sanctuary, Poutie soon followed her. No one who knew them, however, would have deprived them of one minute of their reunion. Their "future" was realized in each happy moment they shared.

When our hospice foster dogs walk across that big, old Bridge, we are filled with pain and sorrow because they always leave us too soon. But in the hauntingly wise words of Helen Friedman, "Accept this pain with grace, for . . . you have saved a life well worth living (Paws to Think, Spring 2004).

We believe that every old dog has "a life well worth living" and deserves to know love, security, and warmth; deteriorating health should not exclude an old dog from the circle of love and compassion that is the birthright of every animal. Sadly, we turn away many senior dogs in need, deserving dogs, perhaps even healthy senior dogs with good adoption prospects because we simply have no place for them to go. Our world is an imperfect world, and our answer to the troubling question of who is saved and who is lost is an imperfect answer. When more people value their senior dogs until the moment they leave this world, the questions and the answers will be easier. Until then, we urge you to join us. Open your heart and your home as a hospice foster caregiver to a beautiful old dog in need. More foster homes mean fewer old souls lost.

Contact The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs at 216-485-9233, seniordogs@aol.com, or www.sanctuaryforseniordogs.org . Get involved. Foster a senior dog. Save a life.

Scroll down to find out what YOU can do to help.

http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=127_HB_415

As Introduced
127th General Assembly
Regular Session
2007-2008
H. B. No. 415

Representatives Blessing, Domenick

Cosponsors: Representatives Wagoner, Hughes, Barrett, Szollosi, Ujvagi, Dyer, Foley, Peterson, Lundy, Distel, Yuko, Webster

See the web site for a copy of the actual bill showing deletions and additions to the existing code. I did not reproduce it here because I cannot get the strike outs to show up in the transfer.

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD:

State representatives need to know the opinions of constituents to serve his or her district effectively. Contacting your representative personally at the Statehouse or in the district is a meaningful way of communicating your concerns.

Another way that you can contact your representative is through the mail. It is always a good idea to refer to the subject directly or, if possible, provide the number of the bill in question. You need to state what your position is on the subject and also provide a reason for your opposition or support of the bill.

Your letter may be sent to your representative's home or office. The home address is often listed in the phone book or local newspaper. Your legislator's address at the State Capitol is:


The Honorable ___________
Ohio House of Representatives
77 South High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215-6111

An even more effective form of communicating your concerns is by testifying before the committee considering the bill which affects you. Many of Ohio's newspapers print weekly schedules of legislative committee hearings. If you wish to attend a committee hearing or to testify, information may be obtained by calling the committee chairman's office, your representative's office or the appropriate Legislative Information Hotline number. Be sure to prepare written testimony and make enough copies for all committee members. Before the hearing, you must fill out a witness slip indicating your desire to testify. You need not appear in order to testify. Written testimony is welcome, although your presence will add emphasis to your position.

FIND YOUR REPRESENTATIVE:

Don't know who your representative is? You can search by name, district, or zip code at http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/search.cfmreps_zip. Be sure to contact the sponsors and cosponsors as well.

OHIOANS, ACT NOW:

The time to express your opinion is NOW. Partly due to the heinous actions of Michael Vick and his minions, the legislature seems ready to enact tougher animal fighting penalties. The public seems ready to embrace those tougher penalties. Let's not let this opportunity slip through our fingers

© 2007 The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs

Many of you are already acquainted with Burt, a big, lovable 85-pound Saint Bernard/Golden Retriever mix, who has served as the Sanctuary's therapy dog for three years now. He came to us in 2004 after collapsing in a ditch in a rural Ohio county, a seven-year-old dog filled with buck shot and pellets. Burt went to live in an assisted living facility because we understood how kind and gentle he was. But Burt did not like his life there, and he kept running away. So he came back to my home, this time as a permanent resident in training for the Sanctuary's therapy dog.

Burt passed the Delta Society test in 2005 and again in 2007. In fact, Burt won an honorable mention as Rookie of the Year in the Delta Society Beyond Limits Award 2006 for his exceptional service to the community. Burt has appeared on TV several times and been the subject of many local newspaper articles; we at the Sanctuary are proud of Burt and his many accomplishments.

For the past several months, Burt has been off stride. We could not figure out exactly what was wrong. He was tested for Erlichiosis (he had tested positive and been treated for this tick-borne desease in the past); he had complete blood counts and x-rays, but nothing definitive could be found. He has problems with his neck, so we treated him with pain meds.

Then on September 15, Burt collapsed late in the evening and was taken to the ER. Again, a blood test and an x-ray showed nothing, and Burt was sent home with an appointment for an ultra-sound the following Wednesday. He began to refuse food (a very bad sign for Burt who never misses a meal for any reason!) and spent a miserable night, at times rigid and convulsed with pain. I stroked his side and he literally gasped, a sound I had never heard a dog make before.

On Sunday morning, we returned to the ER, and the attending vet did an ultrasound which clearly showed a large tumor in his spleen. He was rushed into emergency surgery, and the tumor was successfully removed. We discovered that nodules on the tumor had ruptured and that Burt had been bleeding internally, probably for a few days. He healed rapidly, and our relief was even greater when his pathology report showed only benign tissue, no malignancy.

Burt has now recovered and will resume his therapy duties next week to the delight of those whom he visits.

If you would like to contribute to Burt's medical care, we have created a Firstgiving page with a goal of $3000, the cost of Burt's diagonostic testing, surgery, medication, and emergency visits.

Firstgiving


Your support will help the Sanctuary meet Burt's needs and continue to save the lives of old dogs in need in pounds and shelters. Whether you can give or not, please remember Burt and the Sanctuary in your thoughts and prayers. That is the most important form of giving there is.

The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Your contributions are tax deductible. Visit the Sanctuary's web site The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs

Old Dogs, Great Friends!

Burt, a 10-year-old Golden Retriever/Saint Bernard mix, came to therapy dog work with The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs at almost 8 years old, late in life by most standards, but his gentle nature and soft, beautiful brown eyes make him a natural. Wherever Burt goes—out for a morning walk, shopping at a local pet store, or just visiting the vet—people are drawn to him; strangers stop to stroke his long, auburn fur or scratch his big, square head. One woman, hurrying to a doctor's appointment, said just seeing him made her day so much better. That's the kind of fellow he is, spreading warmth and happiness wherever he goes.

But life has not always been good to Burt. Three years ago, he was found in a ditch beside a country road in rural Ohio and was rushed to a nearby vet clinic. Luckily, Burt was unharmed. Lost, tired, and hungry, he had decided, in what we now know to be his characteristic way, to take a nap in the first convenient place he found, a ditch by the roadside. Burt's next stop was a rural humane society; it was there that his luck started to run out. No one claimed this big, loveable dog, and so the gentle, charismatic stray the shelter staff called Burt was scheduled to die.

Like so many abandoned older dogs, he was about to become another victim of a system that does not recognize the inherent worth and value of older dogs. But Burt's luck changed dramatically when a compassionate volunteer e-mailed his picture to The Sanctuary for Senior Dogs where the staff quickly saw the contribution Burt could make and enrolled him in therapy dog training.

As a therapy dog, Burt developed his own style: slow, laid-back, easy-going, steady, and maybe even just a tad lazy. He takes his time when he enters a room, slowly strolling over to the occupants and offering his big head to each for a scratch or a pat. For a few special people, Burt has a quick kiss on the hand. But soon after his greeting, he flops onto the floor at the feet of the person he is visiting, often rolling onto his side and stretching his big paws out to ask for a belly rub or just to enjoy the moment. His presence is a catalyst for conversation, for memories, for shared smiles, and for living in the present. When Burt is in the room, aches and pains and sadness are soon forgotten.

Burt's remarkable accomplishments as a senior therapy dog were recognized recently when he won an Honorable Mention in the Delta Society's Beyond Limits 2006 Awards, a national competition for active therapy dogs. Not bad for an old dog with a brand new job.

We recently realized that Burt's gentle, loving nature and his achievements as a therapy dog are even more remarkable than we had imagined. X-rays revealed that he had been used as target practice during his days as a stray dog in rural Ohio. He was peppered with buck shot and pellets, one pellet sitting dangerously close to his spine. Perhaps that is why he was found along the side of the road three years ago. Perhaps that is why he is so grateful for his second chance at the good life. And perhaps that is why he is so sensitive and aware of those around him in his job of bringing comfort to others.

Do you have an older dog with a wonderful personality and the time to share your dog with those in need of comfort? If so, your old dog might find a great new job. too.

As another Ohio winter winds down, the promise of Spring might have awakened your desire to add a new canine companion to your pack. Or perhaps you are thinking of adding a dog to a household that has not recently known the joys of unconditional "doggie love." Imagine sharing those early morning walks in the park with your new dog, as leaves begin to appear on the trees and daffodils dot the trails and fields. Now imagine an older dog walking calmly by your side, enjoying the smells and sights of Spring as much as you do. You have just taken the first step to adopting a senior dog, a decision that will change your life as dramatically as it will change the senior dog whose life you save. Your senior dog will fast become a special friend who will thank you for choosing her everyday of her life.

Most people who think of adding a canine friend to their family think automatically of a warm, cuddly puppy. As adorable as puppies are, they are not necessarily the best fit for everyone. It takes patience, energy, and persistence to help them grow into the polite, wonderful family members that we all desire. Many older dogs, however, come with these desirable qualities already built in. An older dog has often mastered many of life's lessons: He enters your home and finds his place in the family without chewing your shoes or soiling your house. He may already know basic commands and love to show off his skills. He is filled with gratitude because you have chosen him when others wanted only puppies.

Perhaps you are reluctant to adopt a senior dog because you fear that time with your new companion may be short. But the privilege of caring for a senior dog and the knowledge that you are giving her love, care, and quality of life, possibly for the first time in her life, is richly rewarding for both of you. The gift of this special bond lives long after the pain of eventual separation.

But senior dogs' lives are far from over. While they may not run agility courses or play flyball, senior dogs love to learn new things and explore new places. Many senior dogs make excellent therapy dogs, knowing instinctively how to bring comfort and joy to those most in need or how to sit quietly at the side of a child struggling to learn to read.

Adopting a senior dog is a wonderfully rewarding experience. So the next time you walk though your local animal shelter and see the sad eyes and graying muzzle of a senior dog, abandoned when he should be enjoying the comforts and rewards of his golden years, consider taking the oldster home to the warmth and love of your own family. When you do, you will share the joy of unconditional love that only a wise, old dog can give.