 Calling Pets and their people - Rudy Loeser -
Here's your question for the month: What costs $5 per year, provides untold hours of enjoyment for a lot of people and a great feeling of satisfaction for those who have paid the fin? If you know the answer, you get to read Seniors Choice Newsmagazine absolutely free for the rest of your days in the Okanagan. If, moreover, you knew the term "fin" to be a slang term for a five dollar bill, you qualify for certification as a genuine lover of the American idiom. But enough. Here is your answer:
Five dollars is the annual membership fee in the Pets and People Visiting Society. And what the Society does is what Marjorie Rutherford and her dog Belinda began doing seven years ago when they visited Kelowna's General Hospital in order to bring joy into some patients' lives. In doing so, this wonderful lady began a tradition which grew to the point where the Societys current 37 members and their pets now visit patients and residents in 14 facilities in Kelowna, the Westside and Westbank. Their impulse to do this is rooted in a genuine desire to share the joy they get from their pets with people who are shut-in, people who, by all accounts, benefit from the interaction with their four legged visitors.
What kind of visitors, you ask? Well, there are dogs of all types, there are cats, even rabbits, all animals which have the temperament to be companionable, are manageable, and conform to high standards of health and hygiene.
We spoke with Peter Shepherd, the current president of the Society, about their program, their discipline and their aims, and here are some of the background details.
According to the pamphlet of the group, volunteers come from all walks of life. They (the people) must be at least 16 years of age - unless they are accompanied by an adult. Membership is not simply a question of taking the neighbourhood pit bull off the chain and going to Cottonwoods. All pets are carefully screened before being accepted into the program, as the brochure states. The pets are judged according to their relationship to their handlers, their disposition and behaviour, response to people and their ability to deal with new experiences, including medical apparatus, loud noises, and other criteria. All of which makes eminently good sense, because you really don't want to expose your loved one to the canine terror of the neighbourhood.
We really relate to this effort from two view points: We are pet lovers, and we are seniors with friends and loved ones in care facilities. Which means we can appreciate the Society's need to conduct a recruiting drive. Pets have a more limited life span than people. Which means that pets will drop out of the program by reason of being frail, ill or simply too old. Two cases in point are "Lady" owned by Joanne Sheppard, and "Duchess", owned by Therese Smith. Both dogs have contributed for years to the enjoyment of life of a number of patients. Both, alas, have had to drop out - Lady because of terminal illness, and Duchess because of advancing years. Their load of giving joy must be taken over by some other pets, be they dogs, cats or, yes, rabbits.
We urge you to consider this satisfying way to make a difference by calling membership co-ordinator Sue Palliaser at 763-6272. Find out about the pet screening program, and the one day program for volunteers and pets. Find out how to visit a bedside with a dog. And if you decide to do it, and you, your pet and the Society agree to work for the happiness of some patients, we'll promise that you never spent five dollars for a more rewarding purpose. Everybody wins. You, most of all. |
