I am in my early 40s, and most of my friends are in their 40s and early 50s. We’re a pretty active bunch. I am an avid hiker. One of my friends just cycled the 45 mile Ride for the Roses in Austin. Another is a serious runner who is currently training for an ultra. I even have a friend who is a competitive stair climber. We do not fit the picture of middle-aged women that I had in my head when I was 20. And thank goodness!

I am currently reading Ellen J. Langer’s book, Mindfulness. Dr. Langer is a social psychologist who teaches in the Psychology Department at Harvard University. She has been called the “mother of mindfulness,” and she writes a lot about mindful aging. I am loving her book. One of the ideas that has struck me the most is how our preconceived views of aging and the way that we are treated with regard to our numerical age can dramatically impact our health and longevity. In a study that she performed in a nursing home, Dr. Langer gave one group of residents more choices throughout their days - like where to receive visitors and whether or not to watch the weekly movie. These residents were also given a houseplant to care for. The members of the control group were not given more choices; they were given plants but were told that the staff would take care of them. The data from this study showed that the residents who had been given more control and responsibility were more active and social than their counterparts - even 18 months after the study. They also had a lower death rate (15% versus 30% at 18 months). Dr. Langer writes, “The notion that the aging process and the physiological deterioration that accompanies it are the inevitable results of the passage of time sets us up for a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

This whole idea has made me wonder how our ideas about limited physicality with age affect our pets.

A friend, Clare (who is not yet in her 40s), recently visited me with her dog, Phoebe. Clare and Phoebe live in Chicago, so Clare was excited to get out and do some hiking in the North Carolina mountains. I was excited too, but I was concerned that she wanted Phoebe to come with us. I’m a worrier by nature, so I had visions of snake bites, paw lacerations, and Phoebe getting a little too close to the edge of a rocky cliff. But my biggest concern was Phoebe’s stamina. Phoebe is an 11 year old Westie. She is active, but I had serious doubts about her ability to maneuver in the rugged terrain and to keep up on the 6-8 mile hike that we had planned.

I should not have worried. Phoebe did amazingly well! She even walked ahead of us for part of the trip. She did get tired after 6 miles, but Clare carried her in a day-pack for about a mile until she was ready to walk again. And it was obvious that she loved it. It was almost as if she was smiling as she sniffed along the trails and posed perfectly on one of those rocky cliffs I was so worried about.

Phoebe is active in general. She and Clare regularly hike the forest preserves in and around Chicago. I realized after our successful hike just how much younger and healthier she looks than a lot of the 11 year old dogs I have treated over the years. Yes, this could be the luck of genetics, but I also think it has to do with Clare’s refusal to treat Phoebe like an 11 year old dog. Clare is ready with a day-pack if Phoebe gets tired, but it never occurs to her that it might be better to leave Phoebe at home.

Now, I am not saying that every 11 year old dog can or should be doing extensive hiking. Many of them should not. And it is vitally important to take precautions whenever you take your dog on an adventure; accidents, injury, and heat exhaustion do happen and can be life threatening. I am simply saying that, maybe, if we changed our preconceived ideas about what our pets can and cannot do as they age, we could keep them healthier longer - just like the human subjects in Dr. Langer’s study. I know that my friends and I plan to continue our active lifestyles for many years to come, and I am grateful that nobody is telling me that I can’t. I now realize that I need to extend the same open-minded encouragement to my dog.

So, here’s to Phoebe and all the older pets out their living life to its fullest and defying expectations. You are an inspiration for all of us!

For more information about Dr. Langer, visit her website, ellenlanger.com, or check out her September 10, 2015 interview with Krista Tippet on On Being (onbeing.org).

If you’d like to follow Phoebe’s adventures, you can find her on her mom’s instagram account: clare_macci. It’s basically Phoebe’s account, and she has over 600 followers!

Barbara L. Butchko, DVM, CVA | Meridian Mobile Veterinary Care | Charlotte, NC

The Heart Meridian

What Phoebe the Westie Taught Me About Active Senior Pets