Old Bones
Mauri Formigoni

I confess I miss writing to you every week. I am aging and, most especially, Diva, my old Great Dane, is becoming a bit goony. She wakes in the night and walks the floor, then stands and stares at me as I sleep. I wake to find her looking hard at me, and I see that she is confused and wondering where she is and what is happening.

 My father had Alzheimer’s disease and did the same. I loved him mightily, and ached to see the powerful man wondering where he was and what he was doing. But we all learn that we age, question our own competence and our own powers and mourn their passing.

Amy, my old blind cat that was owned by Jane Welch, the late SPA supporter, is one of my favorites. Many of her animals were adopted by her staff, and several were returned to the shelter. Sadly, her cats were declawed and now are old and defenseless. Frankie, a male cat, remains at the shelter. I adopted Amy, who looks and acts like a small lion, and I will fight to protect her.

I made a disastrous mistake with my animals. I had four dogs and six cats. We had a beautiful male Weimaraner at the shelter, two years old, neutered and perfect in every way. I waited three weeks and when he was not adopted, I could not stop myself. I adopted him and we became seriously overcrowded at my house.

I knew we would be moving to the country soon and could manage until then. A friend who works at the shelter said to me, “Why did you do that? He could easily have been adopted!” I replied that I had a deaf dog and a blind cat and that I worked hard enough to be entitled to a “perfect” animal. And so we struggled. And he was perfect. But I forgot that Weimaraners were hunters and are very smart. He watched until I was sleeping and attacked my old cat, Amy. I rescued her in the nick of time, but she was so traumatized that she slept for three nights on the top of my head and may never be the same. Then he attacked and killed my youngest cat, who was brought home to be a companion to the blind Amy. I c
ould barely recognize her. I tried to talk with him, but of course, it is in his nature. How could he understand that we do not kill cats?! I agonized, but sadly brought him back to the shelter where he howled, knowing that I loved him. He wanted the soft bed and good food of home, but he was, instead, labeled a “cat killer.” A week later, he was adopted by a good family with no cats and only older children Everyone else was happy.

I feel that I still have a lot to learn. Good will is not enough. As my old boss, Dr. Bruno Bettelheim, said, “Love is not enough!” Animals are true to their nature and we cannot make nice and change them. I cannot bring home a hunter and expect peace.

Older animals can be a problem, but are incredibly rewarding. There are few surprises. Incontinence may be a progressive problem, but with understanding and an extra bed, even a dog that occasionally wets the bed is worth it. Please consider adopting mature animals as your contribution to an entrance to heaven. They give you all of their love, turn to you for reassurance and have relatively few problems. When you feel that life is no longer worth living for them, you can take them to the vet for “sleep,” but only when pain is stronger than pleasure. Those of you who are worthy will be willing to bear this. It is the greater part of valor.

Our mature animals are not blind, deaf or incontinent, but have simply been waiting longer than some of the puppies and kittens. You can know who they are and need not wait until their personality appears. Please consider Callita, a five-year-old spayed female with a wire-haired coat and sweet personality. She has been at the shelter for several years. Also consider Kiwi, an adult long-haired calico who is shy but has mothered several litters and wants a permanent home and rest.

Visit our animals at the shelter at Los Pinos 7, just off Calzada de la Estación (Canal), open Monday–Friday, 10am–2pm, with volunteer visits from 11am–2pm. Also come visit with us at the Jardín on Thursdays, 11am–1pm to see the clean, healthy, vaccinated and lovable pets we have brought. Our website is www.spasanmiguel.org.