Friday, June 21, 2013

Teaching a Not So Old Dog an Important Lesson


When I made the decision to start my pet care business, I knew that my work would encompass activities other than dog walking and pet sitting.  This does not mean that both activities aren’t professionally and personally meaningful to me.  Quite the contrary!  They allow me to spend time with dogs and cats, which is enormously gratifying and they are the cornerstones around which Deluxe Dog Concierge is built. 

Simply put, in addition to providing the basic pet care services clients typically look for, Deluxe Dog Concierge seeks to be a credible informational resource for pet parents. 

So it should not come as a surprise that I stepped before a group of 16 older adults and the Program Director at a senior living community in University City/La Jolla this week to present a program on canine health and ways to strengthen the bonds between people and their dogs.  We covered topics including ideal weight range, appropriate food portion size, canine nutrition, exercising your dog, the value of playtime and the importance of physical touch.  Although I was the so-called expert who delivered the program, Dr. Ira Feinswog (a highly regarded local veterinarian) joined me to manage the Q&A session at the end.

What resonates with me most from this experience is having had the opportunity to observe the extremely close relationships between the residents and their pets. Their dogs sat on their laps, by their feet or underneath their chairs on their doggie cushions.  The residents listened intently and their dogs also were captivated by the subject matter.  Good questions were asked and thoughtful remarks were made.  The residents (probably unbeknownst to them) stroked their dogs’ backs, petted their heads and showered them with kisses throughout the hour-long program. 

When it was over, I reflected upon what had just happened.  The residents hopefully benefited from participating in the program.  But with all their life wisdom, they were already doing and reinforcing much of the emotional bonding and pet enrichment practices we discussed.  In this regard, they had something to teach me:  It’s not just about acquiring some new pet health information or learning important “pet facts”; it’s also about doing what comes naturally when a dog looks into your eyes and his/her soul reaches out to you to say, “Thank you for loving me and taking care of me.  You mean so much to me and I am here to look after you too.”  As I left their retirement community and got into my car, I felt so humbled by the experience.  These elders taught this not so old dog the best lesson ever.  
Cheers!

3 comments:

  1. I loved this post, David. It's something we cannot really explain (why we put so much of ourselves into our pets) but I do know that it feels good to be needed and loved! :-)

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  2. Thank you Ann. I am pleased that you liked it. I choked up a little towards the end of writing it; the words just poured out from my feelings.

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  3. It was a great thought David and many pet care professional thinks like that they don't want their service to be taken as a simple business, they want to make people aware of their pets needs. And most of us depends on services that provides like you because of this treatment.

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