The Joys of Life with Senior Animal Companions, Part 1 of 2

Elder animal companions come with plenty of charm, lots of love, and many other benefits for their new caregivers. Fred, a 61-year-young cockatoo gentleman has brought so much delight to his new family, who continue to learn more and more about his personality as it unfolds. “He was in a cage completely missing one of his wings. As he gets comfortable, his voice starts to come out. It’s very obvious that he’s happy. Woooo.” When Dominique adopted sweet Willem, she was surprised at his unique grooming preferences. While at the rescue shelter, Willem was scared of the dominant cat residents. He hid in a corner, didn’t dare to use the litter box, didn’t wash himself, and was very dirty. “Willem continues to be a beloved and hygienic housemate, preferring to take a shower each day. He sometimes even wakes Dominique up at 5:30 am by meowing to ask for a shower.”

Snoopy the rabbit sweetheart is a perfect example. “He’s almost five now. The moment I saw him I really fell in love, and yeah, he stayed. When I was young, I also had a dog, and the bond between me and the dog was also really close and it feels the same with him.” Mr. Greig now has a large and harmonious family. “I basically share my bed with nine senior dogs. Oh yeah, I also have a rescued turkey, ducks, and chickens and a rabbit. My life wouldn’t be the same without them.” Frank and Tito are great examples of inspiration and tenacity. This dog loves to help his best friend get around town. “Tito does not have use of his back legs. So I put him in there and both of their faces lit up. He had a rap sheet of medical issues. When Tito was really sick I was watching him around the clock. And Frank would be sitting there, just staring at him, watching, making sure that his little buddy was OK. He started improving vastly, and within a week he was like this.”