Peter enjoys a walk with Alfie
Our Special Friends recommends a good walk for a healthy pet and a healthy person!
We support Living Streets’ National Walking month and encourage people to get walking. Walking is very much a part of what we do at Our Special Friends, as it is so good for our physical and our mental wellbeing (and for that of our dogs).
Our Special Friends help people and their companion animals to stay together where possible.
So, for example, when someone can no longer walk their own dog, we match them with a volunteer (or team of volunteers) who can regularly provide dog walking so that the dog gets the exercise they need.
Many of our clients miss the company of a dog so we have volunteers who regularly visit with their own friendly visiting dog. Sometimes they go out on a dog walk together, or if they are an owner themselves and have lost the confidence to walk their own dog, our volunteers will accompany them to make sure they both can still get some exercise.
Walking is an easy and accessible way to improve physical and mental health and just a 20-minute walk can reduce the risk of a number of preventable health conditions, including certain cancers, depression, heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes.
We want to ensure that pet ownership is a happy, healthy option for both our clients and their animals, and we put steps in place to secure the well-being of both.
