The Franklin County Dog Shelter and the Franklin County Office on Aging want seniors to know it’s possible to take care of a pet and that having a pet, especially a dog, has mental and physical health benefits.
That’s the idea behind Mission Pawsible, a program that aims to pair older adults with adoptable shelter dogs.
Anne Valentine, 71, of Columbus adopted her dog, Malcolm X, from the shelter a few years ago. Valentine said Malcolm X, "brought life back" to her when she was in a bad place after losing her husband.
“He talks. I don't pay attention to him. I talk. He isn’t paying attention to me," Valentine said of Malcolm X with a chuckle. "But the point is, I needed that. I needed some type of reason to keep going.”
Valentine’s husband, Timothy, died in 2018 after a battle with prostate cancer. Not long before that, the couple had to put down their beloved dachshund, Winston Churchill. Valentine was suddenly alone.
“When I lost Timothy, the house was quiet, and that takes a major toll on you mentally," Valentine said.
Years passed with Valentine in a funk. She said she worked, then came home and did nothing. On the weekends, she stayed in her pajamas. Her children checked on her, but they didn’t realize how lonely she was.
Then, Valentine heard that the Franklin County Dog Shelter had a dachshund. When she arrived, however, the dog had already been adopted. She was disappointed, but then a shelter worker encouraged her to meet a few other dogs instead.
That’s how she got Malcolm X, who was a little puppy at the time. Now, he's a fully grown “chiweenie” – a Chihuahua-dachshund mix.
“Think of a dachshund with long legs. He's got the curly tail. He doesn't have the dachshund ears. He's got the Chihuahua ears," Valentine said. "He's very attentive. He loves to play. He loves to do the zooms and all that stuff."
When Valentine comes home, Malcolm X is always there to greet her at the door when she comes home. She calls him her “four-footed son.”
“I was missing something, and that something that I could reach out to and talk to was Malcolm," Valentine said.
"I needed that. I needed some type of reason to keep going.”- Ann Valentine of Columbus
Benefits of having a dog
Stories like Valentine's are what inspired Mission Pawsible.
"We named it 'Pawsible' because there are a lot of misconceptions around dog ownership, and we wanted our seniors to know that it is possible," said Chanda Wingo, director of the Franklin County Office on Aging.
Wingo said dogs keep older adults on a schedule, which in turn helps keep cognitive functions sharp. Dogs also need to be walked, which encourages seniors to exercise. They also provide companionship.
Wingo said she sees that with her own mother and her Shih Tzu - Yorkie mix, Aurora.
"In the morning, I hear her talking to the dog and, you know, getting her breakfast ready. Then they go on a walk and then they come back and they play," Wingo said. "While the rest of us, myself and my children, we go on about our day, my mom's days are filled with this companion."
Still, there are misconceptions about older adults and their ability to take care of pets. Franklin County Dog Shelter Director Kaye Persinger said worried adult children sometimes try to surrender their parents’ dogs to the shelter.
“They're afraid that their adult parent now is living alone, and the dog may be too much for them or they could trip over them or fall," Persinger said.
The benefits of pet ownership outweigh the risks, though, Persinger said.
"Just feeling the need to have a reason to wake up, a reason to go outside and exercise so somebody isn't lonely and just sitting there and getting more depressed," Persinger said. "The dog does so much for you. It certainly outweighs the chance of you tripping over a dog."
The shelter can teach seniors how to kennel-train dogs to sleep in crates overnight. They can also help with other training and emergency boarding, and the shelter has a community pet food pantry.
“There are solutions to every problem, I believe," Persinger said.
"We named it possible because there are a lot of misconceptions around dog ownership, and we wanted our seniors to know that it is possible."- Franklin County Office on Aging Director Chanda Wingo
Getting involved
In October, the shelter and the Office on Aging held their first Mission Pawsible “block pawty,” an adoption event specifically for seniors. The shelter set aside small and medium-sized dogs, which tend to be easier for seniors, but are often adopted quickly after they come into the shelter.
Seniors adopted 10 dogs that day, Persinger said. The Franklin County Dog Shelter and the Franklin County Office on Aging plan to repeat the event.
If seniors can’t adopt a dog because their housing doesn't allow it or for other reasons, there are still ways to get involved with the shelter.
Persinger said folks can come walk or snuggle with dogs or spend time with shy dogs that need to be socialized. People can even take a dog out for a few hours to visit a nursing home or read to kids.
The adoption center also can use help with things like writing pet bios, Persinger said.
“We know seniors have a wealth of education, a wealth of information, and they can teach us something as well," she said.
Persinger stresses that when it comes to older adults and dogs, it’s a win-win-win – for the seniors, the dogs and the shelter.
