Late-life romance exposed: I love a real dog
By Betty Lukas
PV News
Sep 30, 2015
Not long ago an aging Basset hound named Buddy came to visit me for the very first time, and I fell in love.
It’s not that he was particularly dapper or flirty. At 12, such maneuvers are no longer part of his courting strategy, but he did give me a toothy smile and looked in my direction as I tried to promote a visit to my side of the room.
At 48 pounds and with two ears and a belly that skirted the carpet, his approach was effortful and slow. Hardly a seductive move, but once he reached my side, tilted his head upward, beseeched me with limpid brown eyes and, after four effortful tries, plopped his carcass onto the sofa next to me, I knew I was a fool for love.
I stroked him several times and then, after several turns, he settled himself next to my hip and fell asleep. I kept stroking his back and feeling his breathing. It was so peaceful that I felt sad when the evening ended and Buddy plodded off into the night on a leash with his lucky and longtime owner. He couldn’t jump into the van. His owner had to lift him onto the quilt-covered back seat. Buddy was being treated with attention and affection — a healing prescription for late-life creatures of all species.
I now know why ladies
of a certain age in my neighborhood walk their dogs of a certain age. They belong together. They stroll slowly in measured ways that get them where they want to go but in a leisurely and unhurried manner. None of this jerking or pulling at the leash, at either end. One could say that this aging odd couple are strolling in later-life harmony.
On a much broader scale, the comforting consequences of therapy dogs who visit hospital patients are well known. In fact, the first and leading pet therapy program in the country was launched by the Animal Health Foundation in the 1990s at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. At present, the Foundation has sponsored more than 140 therapy animal teams in Southern California.
And closer to home, three major South Bay hospitals offer similar programs. Love on 4 Paws, a non-profit animal assisted therapy program run by Suni Cookson in Rancho Palos Verdes, trains volunteers and their pets to make twice-weekly visits to patients at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Centers in Torrance and San Pedro. Torrance Memorial Medical Center’s Pet Visitation Program is a variation on the basic theme. Volunteer Pat Carlson has been its supervisor-trainer for the past 13 years. Although all breeds are welcome to apply, Carlson said that Golden Retrievers and Labradors are the most successful. (In any case, dog owners who think their Fido is just the ticket for such a job should contact Carlson or Cookson.)
As for Buddy, he’s a little too old for the job. He’s even a little too old for me, but his visit did make me think of comfort and where to get it.
I could buy myself a robotic pet that wouldn’t require afternoon walks or filet mignon or trips to the vet. Such artificial companionship is growing in popularity at assisted living homes because it is comforting to residents and
replaces an ever-growing shortage of real-life caregivers.
These robotic pets may well preview a not-to-distant future when highly intelligent “humanized” robots will tend to the basic needs of our burgeoning older population. These creatures are already being manufactured, but designers are currently stumped on one particular element: The human touch is still missing.
Wouldn’t you know?
Betty Lukas is an award-winning former staff writer for the Palos Verdes Peninsula News and Los Angeles Times, and a regular contributor to the News.