Case Study: Christine
Christine’s husband, who is living with dementia, was taken into care because, recovering from pneumonia herself, Christine could no longer cope with caring for him at home.
Combined with the recent death of her dog, this left Christine feeling very depressed and anxious to the point that she was no longer leaving the house. She was suffering with loneliness and social isolation and felt like she had nothing to live for. An OSF volunteer recognised the dire situation and suggested to Christine that we could help with finding her a dog to help fill the void. After a couple of months, Christine was ready to explore adopting another dog, which needed to be child friendly as she had young grandchildren and other dogs coming to her house.
OSF identified a dog in a local animal rescue via Facebook and our volunteers’ knowledge, but coordinating the case was challenging due to the difficulties with the unregulated nature of small rescues. Other larger rescues which are members of the Association of Dogs and Cats Homes were unable to help due to COVID-19 lockdown and inaccessibility.
However, within two weeks of Christine’s request for help, we had supported her to adopt a new dog, Syrup, who settled quickly into her new home. OSF coordinated transport for Syrup and contributed £100 towards the £300 rehoming cost. On our follow-up visit, Syrup was doing very well and learning to socialise with different dogs. The OSF friend/neighbour who accompanied Christine to the rescue was a great help with training at home. Christine’s demeanour was transformed and neighbours felt that she was back to her ‘normal’ self within weeks, re-engaging with friends and her community.
Christine said: Since having [Syrup] in my life I feel so much better and I have a reason to get up in the morning and go out for a walk. She has changed my life. Words cannot express how grateful I am to Our Special Friends because you just didn’t save me, you saved dear Syrup too. Thank you.
