European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 16, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Den logo Toft with Cthulhu a at state College Manet hurting hem in stale College a. Logo placet Peti with Cut Italy who live on their Awn at in Nuru no Rio Arkra pet project Matching people with animals Maudes. Beelman associated press Dan Lago is a matchmaker with academic credentials looking Lor the tight companions Lor old  Safe his project. Lago a professor of gerontology at Pennsylvania state University Al Rel became interested in the elect pets had on of or people while wooing on his doctorate on loneliness he was struck by tra1 often during an Init Vileik an older person would in a dog to sit in on the conversation. That led him to found pact people and animals coming together a private. No for prolix organization that takes a scientific approach to finding tha fight Pes for people 56 and older who Are living alone. One thing that sets pact apart rom similar organizations is that each recipient of a pet is assigned a permanent Volunteer or sponsor who helps with the care of the pet and will take the animal Back if things Don t work out tha part that it unique is their attempt at a careful match of an individual with a permanent Pel and then the assignment of a pact member to be a sponsor and a support person says Linda mines executive director of the Delta society based in Retton. Wash., which acts As a National Clearinghouse of information about pet people programs. Lago says pets Anc peple Don Al avs set alorl9 Alt you be Goi to do is look at tha figures on animals that ate turned in to shelters every year to recognize that the human animal Bond however Desira the and powerful it might re does t occur automatically in every relationship with an animal a says but for Many elderly people says pact Volunteer coordinator Diane Tim flirt a Pel offers love and companionship. For people that Are housebound without much human Contact they re tote difference Between happiness and Reol unhappiness she says. And the animal s playfulness let s you lighten up on  Timblin says you forget How sore your Back  Dora Mae Andre a 77-year-old pact member with a Pek Lagnese named Mandy agrees. She s just like part of the Amity. I m alone i live atone and she really realty is an awful lot of  and taking care of Mandy helps Andre remember to Lake care of herself. Because i am Busy and do a lot of running in and out probably i would t take a lot it time to eat. So when i give Mandy something i fed i should give Nysell a Little  Andre is Orte of Many pact members who shares her Pel with area Flur sirs Home residents. When you get Lang to them and take your pet. They open up and say Well 1 had a dog. I had a cat " she said you know this is filling that  pact which now hat about 40 volunteers and about 70 current clients whose average age is in tha late 70s, has been successful in about 70 percent of its placements Lago says. When matches have failed it s usually been due to the extreme shyness or  of the animals of tha poor health of the owner. From experience Lago stays away rom puppies and dogs Over 35 pounds. Most of pact s customers come through referrals. Pie firs step is an interview with a pact Volunteer to determine the person s health Home lie. Financial status and attitudes towards animals that information is turned Over to an animal selection committee which contacts pet owners breeders or animal shelters. All pact animals Aie donated. Once a possible match is found pact arranges Lor a Neutral meeting site where the person and monday june 16. 19s6 animal can go acquainted. We find that if to bring an animal right into someone s Home and say. Here s a dog do you want to think about owning ii they tend not to be very  Lago says. They la say of Gre ii Here s my dog you brought me my dog " pact oilers pro placement health care licensing and Basic training. It also assists with Veter Marinn fid Rood to ifs when needed and sponsors Field with in sitting grooming or exercising As Well As transportation to the vet. Sponsors sometimes Are called on Tor Griel counsel Rig when an own s Pel Dies. Pact in begun in 1981 As part of a research project Lago was conducting with funding from a private foundation. Lago began compiling Sample groups of elderly to study. One group took Pels from pact and had the follow up services. One group consisted of current Pel owners the others were former owners and people who had never owned pets from 1982 to t984. Lago interviewed about 350 participants to try to see whether owning a pet off Ecford the person s physical health or social relationships Lago found that simply owning an animal does t have any relationship As fat As we can Teu with health or morale but among he 1b4 current pet owners tie studied Lago said those who were particularly attached to their animals seemed happier. I can t show statistically that pets Are associated with improving physical health or with maintaining physical health. If we had a Sample of 3,000 people. Rather than about 350 people i think i  but that group of pet owners who loved their animals and Felt belter about life is enough for Lago to justify continuing pact. It does some of them Good. It does some of them great Good Lago says i guess it s a question of How Many people you think seeing an effect with is  the stars and stripes Page 13