Imagine yourself old and alone except for your companion cat or dog. Or perhaps you are disabled and alone, no family except Fdo or Tabby. Now imagine your landlord is threatening to throw you out of your home unless you get rid of your one comfort in life, your pet. This is what is happening at Greenbriar right here in New Smyrna Beach.
It has been proven that pets help people be healthier mentally and physically. Nursing homes and hospitals are all adopting pet therapy especially for the elderly and children. These furry wet-nosed beings bring memories of better happier days as well as comfort to the elderly.
I worked in a nursing home that allowed pets to be brought in on a regular basis. They even had a house cat with run of the place who picked certain residents to sleep with at night. At one time they even had a house dog. You should've seen the eyes of those folks light up when the cat or dog came into their room. They may be agitated for some reason, but calm right down when the cat jumps in their lap and their hands immediately begin petting the hairy lump that brought the huge grin to their face. There are people who come regularly with their animals to visit residents and make their day. I saw how they looked forward to those days. They had lost all, kids, husbands, even their homes and belongings due to failing health and a simple thing like a kitten or puppy worked wonders. The local humane society came every week, too, with kittens or puppies, and took them from room to room to visit residents who could not leave their beds.
I understand that the rule at Greenbriar, a subsidized apartment housing project for elderly and disabled people, always has been no cats or dogs, but for years that rule has been ignored by both residents and management. There should be a law that if ignored for a certain number of years, the rule is null and void. Now management wants to “spiff up” the place, finally, and so they have decided the cats and dogs must go or the owners must move. Where will they go? These animals are like their children.
Would you give up your child to keep your apartment? I sure wouldn’t but subsidized housing is almost impossible to find. The waiting lists for these apartments are usually longer than the people can wait. You have to be put in the fixed income situation to understand how it feels to be stripped of pretty much everything including your dignity. The one thing you cling to is your companion and now even that has to go? What kind of world is this?
I saw on television recently where an airplane landed and a tire blew as it touched the ground causing a fire. They evacuated the plane via the slide, telling everyone to leave their belongings and just get out. One woman who had her small dog with her refused to leave the plane without the animal. She stood her ground until they let her take the dog. She was interviewed later and she said, “I wouldn’t leave my friend behind in case the plane was going to blow up, why would I leave my dog?"
God bless her for that.
It shows how loyal we are to our pet friends. If she were one of the Greenbriar residents, I think she’d live on the street with her pet before she’d give it up.
They, too, one day will be old and infirm and then they will know what their actions meant to these people. I hope the management at Greenbriar changes its stance on pets for everyone’s sake. After all, someday, these managers might be old and lonely except for the love of a loyal animal.