MGordon_MD
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Nov 25, 2008, 1:28 PM
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By Dr. Michael Gordon
Her name was Shaggy, a suitable name for a large English Sheep dog who lived with us during my childhood in our small one bedroom apartment shared by my parents, sister, me and grandmother. I thought she was huge at least in relation to me as a child and recall snuggling up with her on the floor and her accepting all my attempts at affection, play or mischievousness – she just sat with her lovely eyes and licked her way into everyone’s heart.
Year later, through a series of “Bingos”- all pups from an uncles dog provided my family, long after my grandmother’s death for most of my developmental years. We also at one point had a cat brought in from the street by my sister. I never thought in those days of the critical importance of animals in family life or in particular in the life of elders.
In my third year of medical school in Dundee Scotland I moved, with my room mate Steve, into a 4th floor walk up Terrace apartment owned by a grey haired, wiry Scottish lady, Mrs. Jenny Dykes. It was clear from the moment that we were interviewed by Jenny, that Judy, her Terrier would be playing a role in our collective living arrangement. Jenny, whose high frequency and high decibel voice often uttered the name “Judy” when she was coaxing her into the kitchen for breakfast or downstairs for her walk, was a focal point of much of the apartment’s activities. Jenny had many unique attributes, one of which was to be able to hold a cigarette between her lips, and talk, cook and bake while the ash grew to the length of the whole cigarette apparently without it falling off- but, we were reluctant to partake of her baked goods when offered to us, even though her short bread was quite tasty.
Over the two years that we lived with Jenny, we began as quasi family, to help out with Judy’s care- mainly with her late night walk as in the winter months it was dark and usually wet outside and we both knew that for Jenny with her devotion to Judy who was already somewhat frail a shaky, the four floors were challenging. One day as we entered the flat we heard another dog’s yapping- and there she was, a smaller version of Judy, a puppy that Jenny decided was necessary to prepare for Judy’s eventual demise and to make sure she had a dog to keep both of them company.
Steve and I moved out in our final year to but continued to visit Jenny and the dogs from time to time. Our association with Jenny and her menagerie were quite positive – at times we would see Jenny walking the two dogs in the neighborhood. One day on one of the visits, Judy’s bark did not greet us – she had been put down the previous week. Jenny expressed great sadness to us as she picked up the pup and they nuzzled each other affectionately. Many years later, after we had both graduated and left Dundee we heard about Jenny’s death, and both remembered her and her dogs with great fondness.
Jenny, like many older people needed her pets as they needed her to fill the place in the human heart for love, affection and companionship that cannot always be filled by people. Pets are wonderful and many older people benefit greatly from their companionship and the uncompromising affection that they provide. They may not be for everyone, but when the match works it can be magical.
This article originally appeared in The Canadian Jewish News
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Dr. Michael Gordon is Medical Program Director, Palliative Care Baycrest Geriatric Health Care System in Toronto, Canada and Professor of Medicine, at the University of Toronto. He is co-author with Bart Mindszenthy of Parenting Your Parents.
Parenting Your Parents is available in bookstores and online at: Indigo-Chapters, Amazon and Barnes & Noble. It is available in a US edition: Parenting Your Parents: Support Strategies for Meeting the Challenge of Aging in America.
For bulk orders email info@dundurn.com. Call: 416-214-5544 or Fax: 416-214-5556
Dr. Gordon is the author of the engaging memoir Brooklyn Beginnings: A Geriatrician's Odyssey, published by I-Universe.
Brooklyn Beginnings is available in bookstores and online at: Indigo-Chapters, Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and I-Universe
Visit Dr. Michael Gordon's website.
(This post was edited by MGordon_MD on Nov 25, 2008, 1:32 PM)
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