PAWS TO PONDER

 by Suzyn Barron, President of Warwick Valley Humane Society, Inc. 

Did you know that the dogs Nina, Jack, Winter and Sassy and the cats Kya, Tina, Belle, Pierogi, Willy, Chaya, Leo and Cheryl, the four budgies and six domestic rats all have three things in common?  One, their owners died or could no longer care for them; two, none of their owners had any directives in place in case something happened to them (their owner); and three, all of them had to come into the shelter with little to no information other than a few had names.  20 animals left behind with no thought to their future. 

Several of these pets were found in the home with their deceased owners:

   ~ Jack is a 10 month old medium size male black lab mix, sweet and a bit shy at first

   ~ Winter is an extra-large 8 year old, gentle and quiet female Great Pyrenees 

   ~ Nina is a spunky 7-9 year old female black and white, likely bi-lingual Chihuahua  

   ~ Pierogi, a 10 year old white and black female feline

   ~ Belle, a 12 year old full bodied sassy Tortoiseshell with white 

   ~ Willy, 5-6 year old black and white short haired lonely male cat

   ~ Tina and sister, Tillie (adopted) from Tuxedo without names or ages

   ~ Chaya, a female Siamese, Cheryl, a large dark tortoiseshell and Leo, a big orange male from the same home, ages and names unknown, all shy and scared. 

Owners can no longer care for their pets when they have to move in with family or into other living arrangements or simply did not think about the life of the pet and its needs to be cared for properly versus one’s age. Many of us depend on our family to step in, but that is rarely the case we know all too well: 

~ Sassy is a 14 year old lovely, female Collie

~  Kya, possibly 8-10 years old from a very quiet, single person home

~ Three females and one male Budgie (parakeets), likely bought at a pet store

~ Three female and three male domestic ruby eyed, white domestic rats

It’s time for all pet owners, whatever the breed or species, to realize that life throws curves, some negotiable, others not. Whether illness, death or other hardship, we need to take into account what would happen to our pet or pets.  It’s not an age thing, but sometimes it is.  At some point people need to recognize when they are on the other side of the halfway point in age and need to start thinking about their animals’ future welfare.   There have been a small handful of people who have made distinct arrangements, both officially and financially with our organization for that “just in case” giving themselves peace of mind, financial assistance to our organization when the time comes and most importantly, protection for their pets.   It’s simply a matter of ensuring your pets are cared by including them in your will or making prior arrangements with a designated person or organization as a legacy of your love so as not to leave them to an uncertain future.