For East Coast Post.
Tiggy and Zoey are two lucky pups.
The Yorkshire terriers, estimated to be about 10 and 9 years old respectively, have been adopted by Sue and Larry White, a couple from Mount Uniacke.
“(Zoey) acts like a puppy and (Tiggy)’s like a little old man sometimes,” says Sue White with a smile.
The Whites rescued the dogs through a local chapter of ElderDog Canada, a national non-profit organization that fosters and finds homes for senior dogs.
ElderDog also provides free dog care services for its senior clients, commemoration for deceased pets and bereavement counselling.
It is devoted to improving the quality of life for both senior citizens and senior canines.
When Sue White saw on Facebook that ElderDog was trying to find a home for the two dogs, she expressed interest to the Halifax chapter’s adoption coordinator, Mary McDonald-Isnor.
“In Tiggy and Zoey’s case, the important part was that they (stay) together. So for me, that was my biggest motivator. That’s before I knew there were any health issues,” says McDonald-Isnor.
Both canines were surrendered to ElderDog without collars, leashes or toys and without having been given a proper full-body grooming, McDonald-Isnor says.
Their previous owner could only afford to have their faces groomed, the Whites say.
McDonald-Isnor says that the dogs must have been kept in crates most of the time, since they were covered in their own urine and feces when surrendered.
His previous owner said that Tiggy had a cough, but he was actually suffering from a serious condition and was unable to breathe.
When McDonald-Isnor and Susan Stevens, the Halifax chapter leader at the time, received Tiggy, they rushed him to the hospital, where they found out he was suffering from a collapsing windpipe.
“We thought for sure we wouldn’t get him back,” Sue White says. “I was bawling my eyes out, going down the road thinking, ‘he never even had a chance at a good home.’”
Tiggy managed to pull through after four days of being on oxygen, having an IV and having his system pumped with antibiotics.
Now, after having gone through more rounds of antibiotics and having his teeth, nails and fur attended to, Tiggy’s healthy appearance bears no resemblance to how he first looked when he was handed over to ElderDog.
Under the Whites’ care, both Tiggy and Zoey’s coats are shiny and feel as soft as velvet.
Both dogs and humans seem thrilled to have the added company and affection in their lives.
“(We’re) so happy to have them, so blessed to have them, so honoured to have them,” Sue says as Larry nods in agreement.
“They’ve just made a huge difference already. They’re so therapeutic,” she adds.
“They got us trained,” Larry jokes.
“(On) a broader level, we don’t really do much to respect and support the seniors in society, whether that’s senior people or senior dogs,” says Ardra Cole, founder of ElderDog Canada.
“We just need to do a much better job at that.”
Cole is a scholar who specializes in studying the human-animal bond.
One of the notable research projects Cole participated in involved studying the methods of care family members use when caring for a loved one who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
The project was sponsored by the University of Toronto, and took place in homes across the country. Subjects were asked to take photos of what care looked like.
“What we had received was a lot of photos and a lot of stories about … the role of the family dog in caregiving,” Cole explains.
Before ElderDog, Cole volunteered with Therapeutic Paws of Canada with a former dog of hers, Tattoo, for many years.
She and Tattoo spent their visits in the long-term care units, primarily visiting with seniors.
“Tattoo was particularly good at spending time with people in palliative care. He gave them so much comfort,” she says.
The turning point came after her brother’s sudden death, when Cole took the senior chocolate Lab that was left behind, Mr. Brown, into her home.
“It got me thinking — what happens to those old dogs when their human companions die?” she says.
“They’re not all that adoptable, they don’t do well in shelters, they come with age-related issues and they come sometimes with long-term illness. And a lot of people don’t want to sign on to that.”
It was this incident that sparked Cole’s ambition to found ElderDog.
“It just sort of seemed like it had to happen. That became my passion and my mission,” she says.
When finding homes for the canines under their care, ElderDog gives priority to its senior clients who are looking to adopt.
After finding the right match, the organization offers free dog-care services to its senior clients in order to help manage the responsibilities that come along with their new companion.
“It’s really quite well-known that old age is the time when seniors really can benefit most from the companionship of a dog.”