Cynthia Daniello is a hero of mine. Nothing stops her, not old age, not her wheelchair, not the imperious peckerheads who run communities for the elderly, not the elitist fanatics in animal rights, not the grumpy neighbors who hate animals, not the many challenges in her life.
She should be aggrieved, but she isn’t.
She should be resentful, but she isn’t.
She could feel self-pity, but she doesn’t.
She could argue and rage, but she won’t.
She could quit, but she never does.
She has good reasons to blame others for her troubles, but she never does. Cynthia takes responsibility for her life.
She knows most rescue groups will not give her a dog because she’s older.
She knows the people who run her community for the elderly will try to stop her from getting a dog. So will rescue groups and some of her neighbors.
She keeps going. Her beloved dog Edgar, a deaf dog she had to fight for and who she trained to obey foot taps on the ground, died a few months ago.
She went through the complex process of getting another dog, and she got one. The rescue groups and community bosses can’t stop her from getting an emotional support dog. She keeps in touch with me, and I consider her a valuable friend.
She sent me this note this morning. You can get a feel for her. The dog is named Roo; she is an Alaskan mix. The two are very much in love.
Her message tells us much about how animals of all ages – older people very much included – mean to us, how they live our spirits,
and how so many unthinking people make it difficult for an 84-year-old dog lover to get a dog. No dog has ever had a better owner.
Good for you, Cynthia; you light my fire and lift my soul. I feel for all those good people who want a dog but are not as intense and honest as you.
She is a wonderful friend: [email protected].
Hi Jon,
Jon, you may want to remove her email address from your post.
It’s there because she asked it to be there, Gretchen and she is familir to being online. She is interested in other people and rejects a life of warnings and caution.
Ph, my bad, Im sorry. I saw it and, thinking it might have been a formatting glitch, did a knee-jerk by commenting, not knowing that she was cool with it. My apologies. Also, may she and Roo kick some authoritarian ass!
No sweat Gretchen thanks
Hooray for Cynthia and Roo! It is refreshing to hear the positivity in her message and how she and Roo brighten each others lives! It has been proven over and over again that animals enrich our lives at all stages and as we age our pets give us reason to carry on and experience joy!
At age 70, I was told by “rescue” groups, I was too old to adopt a dog, unless I would take an elderly dog near death. Other problems: I live in an apartment: no private, fenced yard. My big objection was: rescue group demanded right to enter my home any time, seize the dog. I found a 1 year old, house-trained, affectionate, Lab mix on the side of the freeway: Jack. Jack and I just finished an hour of Ball Time.
I left animal rights groups several decades ago when I saw the direction they were moving. My deceased husband and I had a private rescue farm for all pets and horses. It drained our finances but we gained so much. And let me tell you, we were DELIGHTED when elderly folks would come and bring back to their home one of our babies . I know those animals were cherished and the look on the faces as they first cuddled their dog – well, it was just indescribable. After a person would leave with their new pet the rest of the day would just have this blessed or cloud nine feeling.