Index: /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/io/loadmodel.py
===================================================================
--- /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/io/loadmodel.py	(revision 15493)
+++ /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/io/loadmodel.py	(revision 15494)
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import os.path
 from loadvars import *
+from whichdb import whichdb
 
 def loadmodel(path):
@@ -12,6 +13,6 @@
 	"""
 
-	#check existence
-	if os.path.exists(path):
+	#check existence of database (independent of file extension!)
+	if whichdb(path):
 		#do nothing
 		pass
Index: /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/io/loadvars.py
===================================================================
--- /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/io/loadvars.py	(revision 15493)
+++ /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/io/loadvars.py	(revision 15494)
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import shelve
 import os.path
+from whichdb import whichdb
 
 def loadvars(*args):
@@ -48,5 +49,5 @@
 		raise TypeError("Unrecognized input arguments.")
 
-	if os.path.exists(filename):
+	if whichdb(filename):
 		print "Loading variables from file '%s'." % filename
 	else: