By Margaret Maccoll
After having a few falls Grace Taylor became fearful of walking her 8-year mastiff, Cleo, but a chance mention to friends of her concerns led her to Pets for Life and her problem solved.
Grace from Verrierdale contacted Pets for Life who conducted an assessment and put her in touch with couple Mandy and Mark Lovell from nearby Weyba Downs.
The couple regularly walk Cleo, a much loved rescue dog from Noosa RSPCA, and the neighbours have become firm friends.
Grace said Cleo looked forward to the weekly arrival of the Lovells and her walk.
“She gets all excited when they come,” Grace said.
Mandy said she and Mark just loved the idea of it.
“At the moment we don’t have a dog. This is perfect for us. We get our doggie fix and help Grace out,” she said.
“Pets for Life asked us if we wanted to walk small or bigger dogs. We prefer medium to large dogs. That’s what we’ve always had.”
Pets for Life is a service to older people to assist them in looking after their companion animals. One or more volunteers visit the older person on a regular basis to provide practical assistance such as dog walking, changing a cat litter tray or accompanying the person to a vet visit. Animals are used as a conduit to reach socially isolated people, prevent the trauma of older people having to relinquish or euthanise their beloved pets, and provide a line of communication between a socially isolated person and the range of services and referrals the Caloundra Community Centre can provide.
The organisation was initiated in 2005 by Sunshine Coast Animal Refuge (SCARS) volunteer Robin Stenhouse who had witnessed the trauma experienced by older people who had to surrender their pets because they could no longer care for them.
Many older people find that owning a pet is an integral part of their lives and a reliable source of companionship. Pets for life through its volunteer visits are prolonging the amount of time people are able to live with their pets which will contribute significantly to the older person’s sense of wellbeing, and connectedness to the community.
The organisation matches volunteers with a mixture of ages, cultural and socio economic backgrounds that are mostly close neighbours to help build more genuine friendships.
Volunteers are trained and police checked and Pets for Life staff are on hand to provide support to both volunteers and pet owners.
To participant in the program or find out more visit www.petsforlife.org.au or phone 5491 4000.
