The Isle of Wight community has rallied together to provide magical experiences for the residents of Old Charlton House, who miss the interaction with their pets.
After a request went out on social media, some very kind-hearted souls brought in their pets for the residents to make some wonderful memories with them.
The Islands Trackadog team paid a visit to the home and gave a demonstration of how they tracked particular scents. The dogs created quite a stir on entry to the home as the residents all wanted to say hello to them, and the dogs were all very excited too. Residents were amazed by their marvellous tracking skills as the dogs found a range of scents hidden in the garden. The dogs were extremely well behaved and the residents loved making a fuss of all of them.
Sheree Guy brought in her Great Dane which caused quite a stir. Residents were quite overwhelmed by his size and asked many questions about life with a Great Dane. It was his first time in a care home and he was so well behaved. He was extremely gentle with the residents, allowing them to lavish their attention on him and feed him sausages.
He tried to sit on Marilyn’s lap, all 11 and a half stone of him! The staff also loved him and he was the subject of lots of photos, as you don’t see a Great Dane very often. Sheree is going to ask the Great Dane Club if any of the other members might bring their dogs in too. We are looking forward to Sheree bringing him in again for us in September.
Lesley Taylor very kindly brought in 3 of her guinea pigs, Eddie, Bluebell and Blackberry for the residents to see. They were very sweet and vastly different in size to the dogs! The residents were fascinated by the guinea pigs and had them on their laps, and they were able to stroke them, cuddle them and talk to them.
The piggies also visited residents in their rooms too, so that everyone had the opportunity to interact with them. It brought back memories for some residents who had kept guinea pigs as children. Lesley is returning with some of her other guinea pigs again next month.
Activity Coordinator, Debbie Webb, said:
“We have been thrilled with the kindness of others in bringing joy to our residents. Not only have they given up their precious time to bring their pets in, but they have also promised to return in the future, which means our residents will get to have many more special experiences.”
If anyone else has a pet that they would like to bring in, you can contact Debbie on [email protected] or telephone on 294453, it will be much appreciated, and you will make a real difference, enriching the lives of the residents.
Dogs are the best. Humans are just scumbags.
What a lovely idea. There are many elderly people who miss their pets.