To The Paws and Claws Clients:

     Due to a few recent events I wanted to discuss today a topic that is at the core of why Paws and Claws exists.  This is the human animal bond or the love that is formed between members of two different species.  In a time when it is so hard to trust in members of our own species, especially those running the country and large companies, I think this bond is more important than ever.   It seems when everything is going wrong we can always rely on our pets to help us through the tough times.

     We recently lost a long time member of Paws and Claws.  Jaeger was a 14 year old weimeraner who has been coming to us for several years.  He used to board with us quite a bit and I remember going out between appointments and sitting with him.  He would come up to me like an old distinguished gentleman asking what I was doing in his yard.  I was thinking of this when his owner was telling me of his passing.    I could hear the pain in the owner’s voice at the loss she had suffered.  I then thought of all the times Jaeger was so excited to see her when they picked him up from boarding and all the times he must have been happy to see her when she came home from work and how I bet they watched tv together with him pushing her off the couch or bed so he could stretch out a little more.  It is the repetition of these little things that help solidify the bond formed between two creatures who on the outside appear so different and on the inside both only want to be loved.

     Another example of this bond occurred when 4 unhappy felines where dropped off at Paws and Claws for surgery yesterday.  You see, the owner dropping off these pets is not the person who paid the bill.  I have two great clients who did not know this person or the pets she dropped off but they wanted to help the cats and subsequently the owner who could not afford their care.  These clients also support the local shelters and give freely of their time to help out the species known as finicky.  They have formed a bond with all cats and want to help any members of the cat family whether they know them or not to have a better life.  It is rare for anyone to have this level of determination and compassion.  We are blessed at Paws and Claws to interact with people of this character.

     The last example of the human animal bond is a couple that we know who foster pugs.  These are pets who have lost their home and would certainly have been forgotten if it weren’t for fosters like this.  They give food, shelter, and love to pets who would have nothing without them.  They come to us for the medical repair of maladies but this is small in comparison to the love they provide every day for these short nosed canines.  It would take a special person to care so much for a pet that they are willing to do all these things and then let them go when a suitable home is found only to have to do it all again.  I have been to this couples house and you can see how much the little orphans have bonded to these folks and bask in the love they have been shown.

     I have learned this human animal bond is shown in so many different ways.  I want to thank all the members of this species who are constantly enlightening me on how much love there is out there for members of other species.

Tony Hall DVM