Group helps keep man’s best friend close as we age

By Tyler Waugh, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A non-profit organization that believes it’s important for older people to keep their canine companions close is looking to spread the word about its support services.

ElderDog St. John’s Metro is a volunteer-run organization that has helped seniors in Mount Pearl, Paradise, CBS and surrounding area over the past five years remove barriers to keeping their dogs, thereby maintaining the benefits that canine companionship has in later life.

“So, ensuring that if an older person doesn’t have the physical ability to care for their dog, because they can’t walk anymore, or they have trouble getting to the vet, or they have to go to the hospital for a short-term stay, that kind of thing, we wanted to ensure that those aren’t reasons that they have to surrender their dog,” said Gail Wideman, leader of ElderDog St. John’s Metro. “We have lots of volunteers who have come forward to help us, but not as many older adults who are aware of what we do. So, we’re really looking to reach out and help them understand a bit about the service we provide.”

The organization connects seniors with volunteers who can help with dog walking, delivering or picking up dog food, providing light tasks with animal hygiene, nail clipping, brushing and other light grooming, and transportation to and from the vet or groomer.

The organization does an initial assessment with clients to determine their needs and then connects them with an individual from a pool of volunteers who have undergone vulnerable sector and criminal screening checks, as well as orientation.

“We try to ensure that the fit is good with the volunteer and the older adults and the assessed needs,” Wideman said.

The organization’s purpose, she added, beyond helping older adults with the care and wellbeing of their canine companions, is to promote the welfare of older dogs whose lives have been disrupted due to illness, relocation or the death of a human companion.

Wideman said a family recently contacted them because the older adult had moved to long-term care and due to the son’s work schedule, was unable to look after the 16-year-old dog and had surrendered it to the SPCA.

“They reached out to ask if we could help this dog. It was 16, blind and deaf and was really at risk of being euthanized because the family simply couldn’t support his care,” Wideman said. “We found a lovely couple whose interest is in providing end-of-life care for older dogs and so they had him for six months and the dog just passed.”

Wideman said while most of their clients are in the metro area and surrounding communities, they’ve provided services as far away as the Central region.

Anybody interested in learning more about the group can contact Wideman at (709) 691-0350 or stjohnsldr@elderdog.ca.