As someone who cannot live without a resident animal, I have made a few observations that pet-loving boomers will understand. Dog, cats, birds, and other pets enrich our lives in so many ways. Their benefits far outweigh the expense, the inconvenience, and the unbelievable grief we suffer when they cross the rainbow bridge to join our former pets.

We recognize the obvious healthy benefits of getting outside in the fresh air and walking our dogs. We also know having a pet contributes to lower levels of blood pressure, and children born into families with pets have stronger immune systems and fewer allergies. Those benefits are measurable but the value of their love and affection are immeasurable.

In the late sixties when I lived in a little apartment in Toronto’s Parkdale district I would see a guy walking three Yorkies every morning on Spencer Avenue on my way to catch the streetcar to work . They were so adorable I thought my heart would burst. Since then, I’ve always yearned to have a Yorkie. After a series of three Maltese (also really amazing, lovable dogs), I figured I had time for one more animal before they shipped me off to the “home” and that dog had to be a Yorkie.

Several decades later, a 3-lb. Yorkie came into our lives. She was seven months old and we were her fourth home already as her previous owners deemed her to be too active (she was a puppy and a Yorkie). We fell in love with her immediately, despite the fact she pooped, peed, and puked on me in the car on the way home. I was officially christened a Yorkie mum and she has been a constant joy in our lives for the past thirteen years.

My little Yorkshire Terrorist enjoys a lifestyle that I aspire to when I’m reborn. Who wouldn’t want a life like hers?

• Lynda prepares my home-cooked meals of organic ground chicken and beef with real vegetables so I don’t have to eat that crappy commercial stuff. They usually nuke it for ten seconds so it’s warm for me. Yumm!
• My medical appointments and related expenses are magically taken care of —transportation to and from, administration, prescription purchases, no fuss, no muss.
• She also makes my hair appointments, drives me there, and pays for the full spa treatment, including tips. I walk away like a shiny new dog with a pretty pink bow in my hair and a fresh mani/pedi.
• I insist on sleeping at least 18 hours a day, mostly in a soft lap or a king-size bed between two people who keep me warm. They are also trained to pick me up in the night when I alert them to my needs with a single little bark, and then tuck me back in after pottie visits to the pee pad/outhouse. I used to manage those trips on my own but since I’m now a senior and nearly blind, I need a guide-person.
• I never have to worry about tech problems. No cellphone, or internet. I’m happy watching whatever Netflix or cable program my parents select—and which I mostly sleep through—on a warm lap, of course.
• Someone brushes my hair and keeps my lady parts clean with no effort on my part.
• I am treated to frequent tummy rubs and massages, although walks have become less frequent and shorter since I became a deaf and nearly blind senior.
• On the rare occasions when I’m left alone they pick a television program they think I will like to make sure I won’t get bored and suffer separation anxiety, which doesn’t really help, but I endure it. I was partial to British comedies and HGTV before I became deaf, nearly blind, and experienced creeping dementia.
• They follow me around like eunuchs picking up my poo in little plastic bags and disposing of it without bothering me with the details.
• I have a wardrobe of fashionable little outfits as the occasion demands – a Roots™ baseball jacket, a pink golfing shirt, a pumpkin outfit for Halloween, a Santa coat for Christmas, and a candy hearts jersey for Valentine’s Day. I have an outfit for every occasion, including a faux Chanel LBD.
• They bought me a comfy little bed-thingy that sits on top of the console in the car so I’m safely strapped in while still being able to see the scenery passing by. It’s also big enough for me to sleep in on long journeys, if I’m inclined, which is usually.

Back to Lynda:

In the last forty years I have been without a dog for only a month and that month was so bereft of life. When I was growing up we had Labrador Retrievers so I cannot contemplate ever being without a dog.

Sadly, I’m calculating how I can replace my current Yorkie when she departs this world. If I could find a little one a few years old who needs a home, that would be ideal. Our time left with Sassy is limited as she turns fourteen this summer. We adopted her when our last Maltese was literally on her last legs. The pain of grieving when Gracie (the Maltese) passed away was alleviated somewhat because we still had the patter of four little paws around the house.