Paws with a Cause: SeniorZ 'n' DogZ at Seniors Fest
Monique Verdier and Joy, Johane Verdier and Bruce, Denise Verdier with Gaston and Tuffy.
by DOGZ R UZ
During May 5th to 16th, The Hudson Seniors' Festival 2008 will be in full swing with activities at the Stephen F. Shaar Community Centre, Hudson Village Theatre and the Hudson Yatch Club. We, at Dogz R Uz, thought this would be a good week to launch our Seniorz 'n' Dogz Program.
We will be at the Stephen F. Shaar Community Centre on Thursday, May 8 from 1pm to 2pm for our first visit with local seniors. All are welcome to drop by and take one of our dogs for a walk with one of our team, or just sit a while and enjoy the company of one of our dogs.
We know from speaking with seniors at the Hudson Pet Fairs, that many of them have had to give up the pleasure of being a pet guardian, either due to age, feeling they are too old now to take on the responsibility of a new pet full time, or having to move to a location where pets are not allowed. One thing they all had in common is that they miss the companionship of a pet. Studies have shown that owning and handling animals significantly benefits health, and not just for the young. In fact, pets may help elderly owners live longer, healthier, and more enjoyable lives. We hope we can help them with this, and offer them a place where they can drop by and spend a little time indulging themselves and make some new furry friends.
Madame Denise Verdier is one local senior who lived with pets all her adult life and with children who rescued all the neighbourhood strays and brought them home, smuggling them into the house when she and her husband were out. Her son Alain would bring them in, her girls, Monique and Johane, keeping a lookout for their arrival home. Her last dog was a German Shepherd whose life was cut short at two years of age. After this, she found it hard to be a pet guardian again, but missed the special bond of interacting with a dog.
Luckily for her, her daughters never got over the love of dogs having four dogs between them. Johane has three, Tuffy, a miniature Schnauzer, Joy, a mini-cocker spaniel, both adopted from Foxy's Canine Companions where she volunteered as a foster home, and Bruce, a daschund, a private rescue and Monique, who, after losing her beloved schnauzer a couple of years ago, recently adopted her own little daschund, Gaston. Madame Verdier now has all the dog love she will ever need, she just visits with one of her daughters and is smothered with kisses, not only from her daughters but from the dogs too. Watching her interacting with the four dogs at her daughter Johane's house recently, it was wonderful to watch her face light up and her eyes sparkle as the dogs came for a quick cuddle, and to watch her talking softly to Gaston who was curled up over her lap taking all the attention he could get. Johane and Monique both said their mother loves to visit and spend time with the dogs.
With our Seniorz 'n' Dogz Program we hope to help a few more seniors recapture this feeling for themselves. We invite you to come and participate in our free program which will be held every 2nd Thursday at 1pm 2pm. Please do NOT bring your own dogs, Dogz R Uz volunteers will bring the dogs. If you have a dog that you would like to participate in the program, please contact us at 514-433-8045 or email us at info@dogzruz.org Visit our website for more details on our programs at www.dogzruz.org
