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Prime Times Pals Mail Tribune / Steve Johnson Betty Scott, of Phoenix, and her dachshund, Brutus, have been brought together with the help of a new Partnering Animals with Loving Seniors program by the Southern Oregon Humane Society. The program pairs older, hard-to-adopt pets with seniors who appreciate the companionship and unconditional love a pet can offer. By John Darling An old dachshund named Brutus waited at the shelter. His owner had died and his future was uncertain. Betty Scott, retired in her mobile home in Phoenix, felt something was missing � a companion. They were just right for each other, thought Kathy Pilolla, the Southern Oregon Humane Society�s director of development and communication. She made them the first senior pet and senior person brought together under the new PALS (Partnering Animals with Loving Seniors) program. "He�s very devoted, a real sweetie," said Scott. "The rewards have been plentiful. He�s a good companion and very interested in what I�m doing. "He knows all the basics. He�s housebroken and knows the leash. The shelter took care of the shots and it�s not that expensive to have him." The Humane Society got the idea for matching older pets with older people from a shelter back East, where it had been proven that pets helped alleviate the isolation seniors can slip into. "A lot of studies have shown pets can make a huge difference for people," said Humane Society Director Bill Templeman. "Even petting an animal is shown to reduce stress and lower blood pressure. "A lot of seniors are extremely lonely because they don�t get out. Pets offer unconditional love and companionship and lessen isolation and possible depression." Many seniors are able to communicate better with pets than with people; having a pet can improve their interpersonal communication skills, Pilolla said. People shouldn�t be afraid to adopt older pets, she said, because they�re generally calm, well-trained and like the comforts of a routine, while younger animals take lots of energy to train, exercise and clean up after. Funding for PALS comes entirely from community sponsorships, Pilolla said. The shelter now has seven older animals ready for adoption to seniors: Buddy, 7, a beagle; Sheeba, 4, a boxer-shepherd; Boofer, a female bearded collie-terrier; Boda, 6, a female cat; Charlie and Mollie, 5, cats whose owner died; and Lucy, 5, a cat. Scott says you can teach an old dog new tricks. With the help of "crunchy, low-cal treats," she�s taught Brutus to sit up. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA