Page 21 - Lake Front News: August 2021 Edition

Pet Tales
A Tribute to Our Dog “Ketch”
By Sherri Roth, Feature Writer
For well over a year now, Americans have cen- tered their lives around their homes, placing more emphasis on the family unit than social events, for- mal workplaces and travel. This “down time” has motivated many animal lovers to welcome a new furry friend to the family through pet adoption. In fact, last year shelters and rescue organizations throughout the country reported record-high rates of needy animals receiving loving homes. Nine- ty-three percent of people who adopted these “pan- demic pets” say their new additions improved their mental, emotional and physical well-being, which made social isolation more tolerable and working from home more enjoyable.
Pandemic or not, the joys and rewards of pet adoption are immediate and powerful in myriad ways. When a shelter animal is offered a sec- ond chance by a new loving owner,
its gifts to its human are life-long loyalty, unconditional love, de- votion and companionship. The act of rescue not only saves the life of the adopted animal, but also the life of
the next animal that will take its place in the shelter. Further, adopting—versus buying from pet stores— helps fight deplorable pup- py mills and unethical breeding practices.
Through the years, my husband Steve and I have
been graced with the love of numerous rescued critters
of the canine, feline and equine kind. Each of them
has a story, and each of them own a piece of our hearts that
is theirs, and theirs alone. At this writing, I honor our dog Ketch, who entered our lives in
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2007 through Petfinder.com and Northeast Ohio Labrador Rescue.
Our dog Ketch was 15 years old when he went to Heaven. He had been ours for the last 10 years of his life. His shelter records reported that his first 5 years were spent just outside of Cleveland, on the end of a short chain that was staked in a patch of dirt that became a mud hole more often than not. When his situation was finally reported and then investigated by the hu- mane society, he was surrendered by his owners without protest. Their only comment was, “We never really wanted him anyway.”
From the moment we brought him home, Ketch fit right in. He was probably the most laid- back dog we have ever had. He house-trained quickly, learned to walk on a leash nicely, and
became an instant friend and companion to Rudder, our other Black Lab. He be- came a pretty well-traveled guy, too—he sailed with us to Pelee Island a few times, earning a Pelee Island charm for his boating collar. He was calm and content as a passenger in Kelleys Is- land golf carts, especially when the destination was the winery. He and Rud- der made a lot of friends there! Ferry rides to the islands were a piece of cake. He rode quietly in the car to Detroit for family gatherings and tried his best to be a good
house guest.
Ketch’s favorite
things were: Eating. Belly rubs. Playing tug. Snuggling on the couch with his humans. And, his
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