As I’m a little yeah I won’t pretend, I’m completely obsessed with my pets – I thought I’d spruce up another post from the past. Life with fur babies when you’re disabled is half hot mess and half unconditional love. Everyone who knows me knows I’m in love with my little zoo, and are definitely rolling their eyes at this point in the post.
Really, Bri? Can’t give those animals a damn second of privacy or peace?
No. I cannot.
When my first flare and diagnosis happened, I freaked out a little about my animals. How was I going to get the cat and dog food off the floor? Who’s going to go get the boys their fave food and treats when I realize it’s on sale at the last second? What if Wuppy gets off his leash and won’t stop?
Admittedly, I was just stressing to stress out. The containers of food were put up higher so it was easier for me to reach them. Phil has no issue going grocery shopping, and I couldn’t catch Wuppy on my best day not in a flare, to be honest.
All jokes aside…these issues can be challenging. People with disabilities and chronic illnesses who have pets face them every day. For me, these issues didn’t come up until I was faced with a flare. Although they were mostly easily remedied, it clued me into a situation I didn’t realize people were struggling with.
So without further ado, here’s my tips + tricks!
1. I’m Not Nike, But You Should Just Do It
If you aren’t already a pet parent, and you are thinking about becoming one, my biggest piece of advice is DO IT…responsibly, please. I think having a pet can be one of the best and most rewarding decision a person can make, sick or not. If done irresponsibly, it can be a very tough situation for both you and your pet though. So, if you live on the 6th floor in a two bedroom apartment, adopt a cat that’s lived and is happy indoors, not a Great Dane or other large breed that needs a large yard, regular exercise, etc.
2. Be Mindful of Timing
Also, respect your needs and boundaries. If you’re in the middle of a flare, wait a couple months until you’ve recovered. You’ll recover faster and more completely with less stress. Shelters have busy and slow seasons; there will always be pets wishing they had a wonderful home whenever you’re ready!
3. Don’t Get Tripped Up On Cuteness
If you use a walker or a cane, you have to be thoughtful of what pets may, accidentally of course, get in your way. You could injure your pet, or even cause yourself to fall. In my experience, my big baby Jack, a 6 year old lab/pit mutt wasn’t a problem. Once he realized I was moving slow for a reason, he was very cautious. Wuppy, however, wasn’t at first. After getting popped with the bottom of my cane a couple times when he apparently didn’t know where it was gonna come down, he gave me a little more room. A rambunctious puppy may be a bit much, but if you’re hard headed like me, it could be fun. Pick your battles.
4. Old Dogs Love New Tricks
Ambulatory aid using or wheelchair bound persons find themselves in a good position to choose a larger pet if they have the resources. I say this because I recently received a pamphlet that talked about training your own dog to be a service pet. I thought that would be such a useful tool for someone without the resources to pay for a professionally trained companion, and an awesome way to engage an older pet to learn new behaviors. It’s rewarding for them, too! You can request that pamphlet and so many more from MSfocus.org
5. Love Doesn’t Cost A Thing…And Fish Food Is Cheap, Too
If you don’t think you can afford a pet, I’d suggest looking into fish. I know they aren’t the most cuddly companion, because they’re actually kind of slimey if you’ve ever touched one (not talking from experience or anything) but they do come with a few benefits! They’re relatively cheap to house and feed, and there have been multiple studies on how watching a fish tank for extended periods of time actually lowers your blood pressure. We have a tank of fish right now, and they’ve been around for two years now. They actually have cool little personalities. Don’t believe me, come watch these floppy things.
6. Keep It Convenient
If it’s possible, keep your immobile pets (fish, snakes, gerbils) and food, toys, meds, etc in a convenient place that easy to reach and move around. Obviously this is just good body mechanics. We keep the food containers up on an end table so we don’t have to bend much to get it. The bird and fish food is in the top drawer of one of those Target cube things in the room. They used to be in organizers below the tank and cage and it was awful – use common sense! If you have none, like me, a friend (or husband) who does is really great, btw.
7. Pay It Forward
If you have a doubt you’ll be able to keep hold of your dogs when on a walk, I’d listen to your instinct and either ask someone for help or pay someone if necessary. It sucks, but there are tons of services that are super reasonable. It isn’t worth risking a fall and injury for you or a lost fur baby if they get away.
8. Last, but for me most importantly; Adopt, don’t shop. There are hundreds of pets killed everyday because shelters are at capacity. They will love you just as much, I promise. Please, please, please. Adopt.
Of course, all of this is just advice. You can completely disregard everything I’ve said and do your own thing – I support you either way! Good decisions, bad decisions, they all have to be made, and in the case of fur babies, I like to think they’re all good decisions.
Being a fur mom is the coolest and grossest thing in my life. A lot of baths, a lot of pee, but a lot of love, guys. I personally don’t know how I’d get by without my whole zoo.
The best part is this – To us, they are a happy little addition to our lives. To them, we are their entire world. Let’s act accordingly.
And if you have any great tips, leave them below! I’d love to add them to the list!
Until my next post, come see what I’m up to on Instagram and Pinterest!
