Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, August 3, 2019

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Mountain View News Saturday, August 3, 2019 

CAT OF THE WEEK


OUTGOING OTTO!

Meet one of our newest 
kittens: Little Otto. 
He is only two months 
old and is so sweet and 
playful. 

He is currently being 
housed at Whiskers 
to Tails in Pasadena, 
where you may call to make an appointment to see 
him, at 626-795-4134. 

Otto is ready for his new home, and will come fully 
vetted and neutered. See more pictures, adoption information 
and application at www.lifelineforpets.org. 


Pet of the Week

 The Harry Pawter spell that has recently 
befallen PHS, brought us the sweetest, 
most charming, kitty cat character, Hagrid 
(A415052). An 8-year-old, mystical, ball of 
fluff, Hagrid is an enchanting gentleman with 
purrfect manners. He dreams of magical 
transport into a forever family and asks that 
you prepare your Floo Network (for muggles, 
that's a wizarding transportation) for his 
arrival. Hagrid is part of our bewitching 
FREE adoption spell, so count your lucky 
stars, wave your magic wand and seal the 
deal. Hagrid is quite possibly your soulmate.

 The adoption fee for cats is $90. All cats 
are spayed or neutered, microchipped, and 
vaccinated before being adopted. 

 New adopters will receive a complimentary 
health-and-wellness exam from VCA 
Animal Hospitals, as well as a goody bag 
filled with information about how to care for 
your pet.

 

View photos of adoptable pets at 
pasadenahumane.org. Adoption hours are 
11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
Tuesday through Friday; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Saturday.

 Pets may not be available for adoption and 
cannot be held for potential adopters by 
phone calls or email.

LOOKING FOR A BEST FRIEND?

Pepper is a big boy with a big 
personality and big heart! Often 
Pepper comes forward rubbing 
against his front door inviting 
visitors to meet him. He enjoys 
cuddling and will reward the 
love with purrs. Like most cats, 
he can be feisty letting you know 
when it’s time to stop the petting 
and time to play. Pepper is an 
entertainer who likes batting balls 
around and attacking little furry 
toys. Pepper would be a great 
fellow couch potato, hanging out 
watching TV or relaxing next to 
his reading companion. Pepper 
has good looks with a fur coat that 
has swirling colors of black and 
white. Pepper›s charm, feisty personality and good looks will attract and reward his forever family. 
He loves people, and wants to be an only cat. Adoption fee is $99, which includes neuter surgery, 
microchip, first vaccinations and a free wellness check-up at a participating veterinarian. 


OLD DOG, NEW TRICKS

Ever wonder if there was more you could have 
done, or could be doing to keep your senior dog 
healthier and happier in it’s golden years? Well, 
I often think about what I could have done to 
provide a better quality of life for my beloved 
girl, “Tater” when she started showing signs of 
her age and eventually passed away. It is hard 
to believe it will be 5 years ago this September. 
She was almost 13 when she crossed the rainbow 
bridge and although I know for sure she got 
plenty of tender loving care, I can’t help thinking 
there was more I could have done to keep her 
comfortable as her final day approached.

I am so pleased to have the resources we now 
have available on the internet when it comes to 
getting information about these kinds of things 
and I have learned a lot from my veterinarian 
who liberally shares the wealth of knowledge 
she has gained over the many years she‘s been in 
practice. Dr. Domotor’s wise advice to owners of 
senior dogs is to recognize that they are indeed 
old and are unable to do many of the things they 
were able to do when they were young. They 
need us more than ever in their golden years.

It is really no different from what happens when 
we humans get old. “Patience is number one” she 
said in a conversation we had regarding caring 
for older canines. “Sometimes we forget how old 
they are. Dogs are considered seniors at 7 and 
that is when they begin to loose their hearing, 
their eye-sight and their olfactory senses. 
Understanding why an elderly pet might poop 
or pee in inappropriate places, or fail to respond 
to a recall is very important in having patience 
with them.”

Although is it true that manufacturers do tend 
to exploit the ever-growing market for pet care 
products, not the least of which are products 
specifically geared toward senior pets, statistics 
indicate that dogs are living longer these days, 
presumably due to improved technology 
in veterinary care and the development of 
innovative ways to help accommodate the health 
and comfort needs specific to our furry senior 
friends.

Specially formulated kibble, therapeutic beds, 
specialized food bowl designs, ramps to help 
“Fido” get into the car, restraining harnesses 
for the ride, diapers for incontinence, dietary 
supplements, herbs and holistic remedies 
designed to cosset a senior dog through its 
last years are among the many relatively new 
products found on the shelves of most pet supply 
stores today. Doting pet owners find it hard to 
resist blowing the bundle for whatever it takes to 
help their four-legged family member fare well in 
their senior years, and I think that is wonderful.

While the many newfangled products now 
available do help when it comes to taking good 
care of a senior pet, there is one not-so-new 
thing we can all afford to do, to ensure that 
their golden years are happy ones. Spending 
quality time with any dog is important, but for 
an older dog, time spent coddling and snuggling 
is extremely important for their mental and 
physical health. This is particularly true if the 
dog’s senses are waning.

I remember noticing that Tater had become 
much more demanding of my attention when 
she was about 11 years old. She was slowly 
loosing her eyesight, and fortunately I knew 
enough to attribute that extra neediness to her 
age. Her favorite time of day was when I’d come 
home after walking several other dogs, and lay 
on the couch where she insisted on joining me 
for an afternoon nap.

I always let Tater lay with me, even though she 
was quite enormous and took up most of the 
couch, because I could tell she needed that time 
with me. She’d crawl up slowly, work her way 
around my legs, let out a low groan, and lay her 
huge head on my shoulder where she’d fall asleep 
and snore into my ear. Saying goodbye to Tater 
was one of the hardest things I have ever had to 
do, but one thing I am grateful for is the time 
we had together, just us two, snuggling on the 
couch.

Please be kind to your senior canine, and pay 
close attention to how their needs change as 
they age. They don’t complain and they can’t 
speak our language, so it is up to us to interpret 
the things they are trying to say, in the way they 
communicate. Don’t forget to give them all the 
affection and attention they need. Show them 
and tell them (yes, in human language) that you 
love them. They’ll understand, as they seem quite 
capable of interpreting what we want to say, in 
the way we communicate. Love and let live.

Happy Tails

by Chris Leclerc


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com