How Gail Sheehy and Her Dog Chollie Survive Lockdown Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

How Author Gail Sheehy Stays Connected During Lockdown

Why getting out and about with an elderly pup makes the difference

Gail Sheehy with her King Charles Spaniel, Chollie. Erin Patrice O'Brien Author Gail Sheehy died on August 24 from complications from pneumonia, three months after she was photographed in Central Park with her beloved dog Chollie for this essay in AARP The Magazine. As a “young” octogenarian, I've been confined to home lately. But I have survived quite well on two essentials. One is Chollie, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel who lives with me in Manhattan. The other is phone calls from my companion of the past 10 years, Robert, who since March has been sequestered in Sag Harbor, New York, by his ever-watchful son. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. My four-legged roommate and I have a . I used to wonder why he seemed to really like it when we'd stare into each other's eyes, for up to a minute at a time. Now I know, from reading the science, that it's because this eye-to-eye connection gives both of us a pleasant shot of the bonding hormone, oxytocin. That boost is reinforced many times during the day, when Chollie comes to me at my writing desk for a long pat or a scratch and tickle. It's touching how often he wants to be petted and reassured these days. He gives every bit of the same back to me. When I lie down on a mat on the floor to , Chollie rushes over to lick me because he thinks I've fallen. And sometimes I have. He's always right there to encourage me to get up. When I have to close him in the bedroom at night so his barking doesn't awaken my neighbor with high blood pressure, he whines like a wolf until I come in and cozy up with him. I am not isolated with my dog, as many friends worry. I am buoyant with health and motivation because of my dog's companionship. Courtesy Gail Sheehy Plus, Chollie keeps me on schedule. I don't have to wait for my alarm to go off at 7 a.m., because he always barks seven minutes before then. He schedules his day, and I comply. First walk, 7 a.m. Breakfast, 7:45 a.m. Playtime, 8 to 8:30 a.m. Nap, 8:30 to 11. (He's 12, so give him a break.) Second walk by 1 p.m., including a bonus poop. On our strolls in Central Park, we're careful to maintain social distancing with humans. We find offbeat paths, and he stops me at every new flower burst — from the first daffodils to late summer's hydrangeas. I take pictures while Chollie picks up the scent of every dog who beat us to these new flower beds. We both come home happy. , I would hop a jitney with Chollie in tow every summer Friday afternoon for the ride out to Sag Harbor. I couldn't wait to get to the beach with Robert to watch the sun refuse to set. We always took Chollie with us. He loved chasing birds and running down to dip his nose into salt water. Flowers & Gifts 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items See more Flowers & Gifts offers > Sad to find I've slipped into the past tense. How ephemeral those evenings seem as we soldier through this increasingly weighty moment, which has brought not only a world-historic pandemic, but a long-overdue . In June, I joined a socially distanced protest march myself, with Chollie at my side. I still long to sneak off with Robert and Chollie to a secret little patch of beach, but I know I'm at an age where I cannot take such desires for granted. Whatever happens, though, I've got Chollie. When I can finally get him a puppy cut, he'll look five years younger. Why can't I do that?
Gail Sheehy is the author of 17 books, including Daring: My Passages: A Memoir. More on home-family AARP NEWSLETTERS %{ newsLetterPromoText }% %{ description }% Subscribe AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS