CAREGIVER • SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 2019 • 11
POWER OF PETS
bring to the loved one’s life.
“You want to look at
what the animal offers
and what the animal brings
to the situation,” Goyer
said.
“For a lot of people, it’s
stability. There’s a routine
associated with having a
pet. It’s also comfort and
love and exercise and socialization.
It’s amazing
how animals can open up
your world and how people
can make friends through
their animal, which is helpful.”
If someone is considering
adopting a pet, Vecchi said,
a good first step is to sit
with a counselor, such as
the ones at Animal Friends.
“Something we really
strive for here at Animal
Friends is we want to be a
matchmaking service for
the people and the animals
involved,” she said.
“There’s no obligation to
come in, sit down with a
counselor and meet with a
dog or cat.”
Whether you’re looking
for a cat that will curl up
in your lap or sleep with
you at night, a dog that
will get you up and out of
the house for strolls or one
that’s content to be a couch
potato, she said, they’ll be
able to help find a good
match.
“The big thing I always
say to adopters is to make
a pros and cons list of definite
(pluses and minuses)
and then the maybes,” she
said.
“Dog or cat? Age, temperament,
what you’re trying
to get out your relationship
with your pet, exercise required,
etc. Think about
what you want, and they’ll
help work to find the right
fit for everybody.”
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