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Steamboat Springs — It's not hard getting Severino Nicoletto of Craig to talk about his spry miniature poodle Missy.

She's got some quirky habits, such as cleaning her feet before coming indoors and sleeping with her feet pointing toward her owner.

"She checks on me every now and then - she'll push her feet against me and see if I move," Nicoletto said.

The 84-year-old is about to celebrate his seventh year cancer free and attributes much of his good health to his little dog's companionship.

"I actually thank her for my being here - her and my doctor," Nicoletto said.

Missy and Nicoletto's loyal relationship speaks of the special bond that can occur between humans and animals and how that connection is particularly beneficial to seniors battling illness, helplessness and other symptoms of old age.

Studies suggest contact with animals can lower seniors' blood pressure and cholesterol levels, decrease their stress and improve their blood circulation, among other health benefits.

But perhaps even more important is how animals help combat loneliness in seniors who outlive spouses or family members or live far from family, said Kelly Connolly, an issues specialist for companion animals with the Humane Society of the United States.

"Pets offer unconditional love and act as friends, therapists and entertainers to elderly people," she said. "Animals help give the elderly a new outlook on life."

Animals are an important part of daily life at the Doak Walker Care Center in Steamboat Springs, where Karen Covillo regularly visits residents with her Chihuahuas Sidnie and Onzlo.

The trio volunteers with the Heeling Friends program, an organization of owners and their well-trained pets who visit hospitals, daycare centers, rehabilitation and extended care centers and other groups in Routt and Moffat counties.

A seasoned veteran of the program, tan-colored Sidnie, wearing a pink sweater, recently led her owner and friend Onzlo confidently into the center, her red-painted claws tapping against the floor.

It wasn't long before she found a very familiar place in the lap of her favorite resident, 71-year-old Bettie Pierce.

"She's telling me all her problems," Pierce said about Sidnie's grunts and growls. "She's my baby."

The two bonded almost immediately when they first met and have been good friends ever since.

"I can be way down the hall and she just makes a b-line for me," Pierce said while wheeling her wheelchair, and Sidnie, alongside Covillo.

In addition to interacting with Heeling Friends, residents at Doak also enjoy the cheerful chirping of birds and the company of Alex the cat, who lives at the center (staff is in the process of adopting a resident dog).

Residents also have brought birds, fish and cats to live with them in their rooms. A short-term resident even brought his dog to stay with him.

It's worth it to make accommodations like that when possible, especially for residents that prefer to stay in their rooms, explained Celia Buckley, activities coordinator at the Doak.

"It makes it more like home and gives them an opportunity to care for something," she said.

Providing animal companionship is part of the center's goals as an Eden facility or facility recognized by The Eden Alternative. The national organization encourages facilities to eliminate the plagues of the elderly - loneliness, helplessness and boredom - through a more holistic approach to senior care.

Seniors who live at home and are interested in adopting a companion animal can start at local animal shelters. The HSUS recommends seniors consider adopting older or mature cats and dogs that are house trained and tend to be lower maintenance than young animals.

Most shelters, including the Steamboat Springs Animal Shelter, offer five-day trial adoptions to help ensure the best match.

Seniors not physically or financially prepared to take on the full time responsibility of a pet may also consider volunteering at shelters, which welcome people to help walk, groom and visit with the animals.

"We have several cats that just like a lap to curl up on," said Megan Wejroch, a Steamboat Springs Animal Control Officer.

Heeling Friends also will be considering the possibility of starting a home visitation program for seniors and others that enjoy animals but have difficulty leaving their homes, executive director Lynette Weaver said.

For more information about Heeling Friends, visit www.heelingfriends.com.

Tamera Manzanares can be reached at tammarie74@yahoo.com.