By Susan Lee Vick, CEO of Joybound People & Pets
Roses and chocolate may be commercial symbols of love on Valentine’s Day – but for me, every day, it’s the wag of my dog’s tail or a cat’s thunderous purr that tell me I’m loved. I’m not alone in this: for many of us, the most enduring relationships of unconditional love are the ones we have with our pets.
Studies show that the human-animal bond brings numerous benefits, from alleviating stress to fighting depression, addressing social isolation to improving physical fitness and overall healing. Just last month, a new study from the JAMA Network found that pet ownership may help lower the risk of dementia in people living alone. Other studies show that people with pets laugh more, walk more, and interact more.
It’s clear: the human-animal bond has tremendous potential to help animals, people, families, and entire communities be healthier, more connected, and more joyful.
Take the amazing love story between Tule and Laura. Laura adopted Tule from the Animal Rescue Foundation, or ARF, in June of 2007. Tule was rescued from an over-populated shelter in the Central Valley a few weeks earlier and was estimated to be about one year old. Recently, Laura told us how important Tule has been to her and her boyfriend Dana. “Tule’s been an amazing companion, with a sense of humor and numerous idiosyncrasies to keep things interesting,” she said. “Last May, when he turned 17, we decided to have a party for him in front of our apartment complex. Several neighbors came out. Two friends brought out a ukulele and sang a song that went: ‘He’s a miracle dog, a miracle dog. Tule! Tule! Tule! Tule!’ Tule has enriched our lives in ways both immeasurable and magical. We are forever grateful.”
Forging and supporting life-long love connections like these is what ARF has been doing in Contra Costa County for more than 30 years. Now, as we look ahead to the next 30 years, we want to make even more joyful bonds like Laura and Tule’s possible under our new name – Joybound People & Pets.
These bonds may begin when an animal is adopted, but they require a lifetime of support to keep pet families healthy, together, and thriving. This is why we offer affordable access to training, veterinary care, therapy and service-animal programs, extensive learning resources, and even pet loss and grief support for all pet families at every stage of their lives together.
And just like any strong relationship, we’re there in the hard times, too. We provide free veterinary care, food assistance, pet supplies and other resources to those in crisis and struggling to make ends meet, which keeps pets in the loving care of their families and out of shelters.
Nationally, lawmakers are considering a bipartisan bill known as the Providing for Unhoused People with Pets Act (PUPP Act), which would create a grant program to provide homeless shelters with funds for supporting clients with pets. By helping these shelters to accommodate pets, provide basic emergency services and more, this bill would help more people stay connected to the animals they love during tough times.
As we grow under our new name, plans are in the works to provide more support to animals and people together. We are expanding our programs serving Veterans and others by preparing shelter dogs to serve as emotional and psychiatric support animals. In addition, we’re introducing vocational training programs for people interested in careers supporting animals, such as pet grooming, dog training, and veterinary nursing.
As of this writing, we’ve facilitated 49,861 adoptions and counting. So this Valentine’s Day, instead of chocolate or roses, I’m rooting for more enduring relationships to be formed between animals waiting for their furrever homes and the people waiting for unconditional love.
Repost from Patch Walnut Creek
