‘Honoring the human-animal bond’
Senior Paw Project keeps people, pets together
Getting a dog made all the difference for Leigh Ann Carmona Diaz.
Sophie, Carmona Diaz’s miniature pinscher, has helped her cope with the death of her brother, she said.
But Carmona Diaz does not think she would have been able to maintain Sophie’s care if not for the Senior Paw Project, a program that aims to keep pets with their owners by providing food and veterinary services.
An initiative of the Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation, an animal sanctuary based in Newtown, the project serves elderly persons as well as people with disabilities. It has been ongoing for several years but recently expanded to New Haven and other municipalities, according to the foundation.
A Danbury resident, 57year-old Carmona Diaz lives in housing dedicated to senior citizens and people with disabilities, she said.
She adopted Sophie a couple of years ago, as she was facing a significant trauma following the death of her brother.
“I was very depressed with the loss of my brother and almost losing my mom,” Carmona Diaz said. “This dog has been everything to me, and I don’t know where I’d be without her.”
But circumstances make it difficult for Carmona Diaz to care for Sophie on her own. She has various disabilities, including trouble with her legs, she said.
That’s where the Senior Paw Project comes in.
“It’s been an absolute godsend I would say, because without them I don’t know what I would do being on a fixed income having a pet,” Carmona Diaz said.
As of last month, the Senior Paw Project served 27 towns, up from 16 at the start of the year, according to Jenny Hubbard, the Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation’s executive director.
The organization was founded to honor Hubbard’s daughter, Catherine, who was killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings. She was 6 years old. “We are honoring Catherine’s commitment to all animals. She just loved them. She loved all creatures,” Hubbard said. “The sanctuary honors that … by honoring the human-animal bond.”
At the time of Catherine’s death, the family had a yellow lab they called “Sammy Girl.” Though Sammy Girl was aging and had arthritis, none of that showed when Catherine’s school bus arrived each afternoon.
“By the time Catherine would make her way up the street Sammy would have managed to hop up and you’d never know that Sammy had arthritis,” Hubbard said.
As coincidence would have it, another Labrador retriever inspired the Senior Paw Project. Hubbard recalled meeting the dog during a visit to a shelter in Ithaca, N.Y.
“There was this beautiful lab that was so sad and left in one of the cages, and this dog haunted me for weeks and weeks,” she said. “(The dog) was surrendered by a senior who couldn’t care for (the dog) anymore.”
That’s how the Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation began thinking about how to become a “stop gap” for seniors thinking about having to surrender their dogs.
“We have a mobile vet that we work with, and what we’ve found is that a lot of older adults in these communities are foregoing wellness care for their pets, either because financially they can’t afford it or they have mobility issues,” she said.
“A big limitation is just physical ability to bring a pet to a hospital as well as, you know, financial limitations,” said Emily Andersen, a veterinarian with a mobile practice.
Though veterinarian Nicole Sabo provides most of the Senior Paw Project’s services, Andersen said, she helps when Sabo cannot.
“Pets and (the) humananimal bond is really important in our culture and in our lives,” she said. When people can’t do well by their pets, “it’s very demoralizing.”
For some Paw Project clients, their pet is their only companion, Hubbard said. She remembered one senior who reported forgoing needed groceries in order to afford pet food.
The Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation provides pet food, medication and veterinary care, according to Hubbard. The organization works directly with social services and residence directors to identify residents’ needs, she said.
Whenever Sophie needs to be seen by a vet, the foundation immediately sets up an appointment, according to Carmona Diaz, who said there are several other Paw Project clients in her complex.