her tenure at Pet World, 711 W.23rd St. Henning, freshwater fish section manager, says she remembers one story about a 4-foot long iguana being left on an elderly woman's porch. She also hears about students releasing various types of pets into or around Potter Lake when they are done with them.
Pet World doesn't sell dogs or cats, but Henning says many students resort to buying fish, snakes, hamsters, or other types of pets through a flavor-of-the-week type of buying impulse.
"What we see the most of is people who can no longer keep their animals," Henning says. "The best we can do is find another good home for them."
The Lawrence Humane Society deals
with abandoned dogs and cats. Midge Grinstead, executive director, says the Humane Society will not sell its pets without doing background checks to ensure potential owners are fit to acquire a pet.
"We're pretty picky about which animal goes with who," Grinstead says.
Grinstead says a good substitute for a hasty pet purchase is to volunteer at the Humane Society. She says students who feel the need to have a cuddly pet get their desires fulfilled through volunteering and avoid potential problems with ownership.
—Luke Daley, Jayplay writer, can be reached at ldaley@kansan.com
LOSING A PET
As I patted Clancy's head on my way out the door last fall, it didn't cross my mind that I would never see her again. I figured my parents would bring my 7-year-old golden retriever to the airport when they picked me up after a semester in Florence, Italy and Paris.
Things took a turn when Clancy went hunting with my dad and contracted a bacterial disease from dirty pond water that soon traveled to her liver. My parents spent 10 days by her side at the veterinary office. I called twice daily from Florence to check on her condition, which fluctuated daily. In the end, my parents decided to put Clancy to sleep. They called me in Italy and let me say goodbye as she patiently waited to be euthanized on the operating room table. I was devastated. I had lost my best friend. All I wanted to do was to go home.
Losing a pet can be just as bad as losing a family member. Veterinarian George Gates of Prairie Village Animal Hospital, 4045 Somerset Drive in Shawnee Mission, helps people deal with this loss on a daily basis, and he understands the strong bonds that develop between pets and humans.
"Some people spend more time with their pets than they do with other humans," Gates says. He also says that some people form such bonds because they fear close human attachments, and they develop pathological attachments to their pets.
People deal with the loss of a pet in different ways. Some rush to the store to replace the pet. Gates recommends to wait at least a few days before getting a new pet. Kelly Hannifan, Denver senior, had a puppy, Cooper, who was hit by a car last April. He was 7-months-old when Hannifan's
roommate found him on the street.
"My boyfriend and I immediately started crying, and he died on the way to the vet," Hannifan says.
Veterinarian Josh Peterson of the Fairway Animal Hospital, 6014 Mission Road in Shawnee Mission, says sudden, tragic deaths can be harder to cope with than an animal who has been ill for some time. He also says that choosing to put a pet to sleep causes the owners extra anxiety and guilt.
"They want to be sure that they are making the right decision." Peterson says. "Unlike people, we can choose to put an animal to sleep, and there's always a feeling of guilt when this decision has to be made." Peterson works with cats and dogs, but the loss can be great with any pets, even small ones.
Julie Sager's hamster, Gimli, died a few weeks ago. Although she only had Gimli for three months, she was affected by the loss. "I cried a little because he was just a baby," the Olathe junior says.
"He used to roll around our room in one of those hamster balls," she says. "One time he rolled out of our room and down the hallway of our sorority house." Like Sager, John Wade, staff psychologist at the University of Kansas, advises students to focus on the good times spent with pets. He says that it's completely normal to experience feelings of sadness and frustration. He advises that students discuss this loss with family and friends, and to maintain a balance in your life.
Sager remembers the good times with Gimli to help cope with the loss.
—Megan Nickerson, Jayplay writer, can be reached at mhickerson@kansan.com
thursday, September 25, 2003
jayplay. 5