A moving interview with Dorothy who explains just how important her pets are to her and what a difference they make to her life.
Author: Our Special Friends
Jenny wanted to do something to help vulnerable people…..
I have been volunteering since April 2018 and am loving the experience. I visit an elderly lady for one afternoon per week with my dog Bonnie.
The lady lives alone in her own home and, whilst mentally alert, she is physically frail and unable to get out and about very much. We spend the afternoon chatting and playing scrabble, which she is extremely good at, whilst Bonnie lies at our feet.
The lady we visit benefits from the social interaction of our company and the mental stimulation of playing scrabble; plus the unconditional love that Bonnie gives her. Bonnie gets lots of love and attention from both of us and, whilst still only a young dog, has gained confidence in new situations and with new people.
I am so proud of how well she has adapted to her befriending role and it gives me enormous pleasure to see the bond developing between her and the lady we visit. She knows the route we take to get to the house and drags me up the drive to the front door! My reason for joining Our Special Friends was to support vulnerable people, which I am very pleased to be doing, but I have also made a new friend in the process.
OSF 2019 London Marathon
Words cannot really express our gratitude to Nik, who has shown such determination to meet his goal and run the London Marathon to raise money for Our Special Friends. Bee’s video perfectly sums up why we do what we do. If you can PLEASE give generously to help Nik meet his target of £2,000!
Just click the MyDonate link below.
A reason to celebrate!
Our Special Friends had reason to celebrate yesterday, by reaching a milestone birthday! As with setting up any charity there have been highs and lows. In discussion over tea and cake, Belinda recalled how getting her charity registration was a real achievement, and the idea (which was originally discussed, funnily enough, over tea and cake) became a reality. That was 5 years ago. Lows included thinking we had achieved National Lottery funding until we read the small print and realised our application had actually been declined.
We have come a long way. Over the five-year period we have handled over 1,000 cases. That equates to an average of nearly one case per working day! Our most recent accolade was a visit from Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whose advocacy of our work was overwhelming and we were thrilled when his article was published in the Bury Free Press ‘Our Special Friends is the kind of social prescribing that can make a real difference to a person’s health’.
Our work is ongoing. We are rapidly growing out of the small office from which we operate in Belinda’s family home and are looking to move into larger offices imminently. In order to continue the rate of growth that OSF has maintained over the last five years we need to be in a position to take on more volunteers, take on more staff and build a team to look after our service delivery, our volunteers and manage our strategy into the next 5 years. So, without putting too finer point on it, we NEED funding.
We rely solely on the funds we can raise and so we are delighted to have set up a new Virgin Money Giving account which makes donating to Our Special Friends even easier. Every single donation we receive is hugely valued, as well as your support in our work. If you are in a position to help us by donating, and spreading the word, may we extend our gratitude to you. We keep all our donors informed of our achievements and developments and consider you to be part of our OSF family as we continue to grow!
Marathon run will support Our Special Friends
Please support Nik as he raises money for Our Special Friends against all odds! DONATE
National Pet Poison Prevention Week
National Poison Prevention Week initiated by vets and toxicology experts to urge everyone to remember the four legged members of the family who are amongst the most vulnerable. Awareness is the key to preventing poisoning emergencies.
Almost 91 percent of calls to Pet Poison Helpline in 2012 involved dogs – a testament to dogs’ curious nature and indifference to eating just about anything. Of these calls, nearly half were for dogs that ingested human medications. It’s clearly wise to keep medications out of their reach, but there are many other common, household substances toxic to dogs.
The veterinarians at Pet Poison Helpline in the United States perused their records and below are the five most common toxins that poisoned dogs in 2012.
Human Medications
43 percent of calls to Pet Poison Helpline in 2012 were for dogs that ate over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription medications. The majority of them involved antidepressants such as Prozac, Paxil, Celexa and Effexor, and common OTC drugs containing acetaminophen (e.g. Tylenol®) and NSAIDs (e.g. Advil®, Aleve® and Motrin), which can cause serious harm to dogs when ingested.
Human Foods
16 percent of calls were for dogs that helped themselves to foods that are safe for humans, but poisonous for dogs. The most prevalent cases were for dogs that ate chocolate. Dark chocolate is the most dangerous since it contains high amounts of theobromine – a relative of caffeine that can be deadly. Xylitol, a sweetener in sugarless gums and candies, is also very dangerous and can be life-threatening even when ingested in small amounts. Raisins and grapes are often overlooked by dog owners as potentially dangerous, but they are extremely toxic and can cause kidney failure. Other human foods toxic to dogs include macadamia nuts, garlic, onions, yeast-based dough and table salt.
Insecticides
7.5 percent of calls for dogs were because they ate insecticides in the form of sprays, granules, insect bait stations and more. While many household insecticides are well tolerated by dogs, certain potent types such as organophosphates (often found in rose-care products), can be life-threatening even when ingested in small amounts.
Rodenticides
6.5 percent of calls for dogs were for dogs that got into mouse and rat poisons, which contain various active ingredients that are poisonous to dogs. Depending on the type ingested, poisoning can result in moderate to severe symptoms—anywhere from uncontrolled bleeding, swelling of the brain, kidney failure and seizures. Only one type of mouse poison (anticoagulant or blood thinner) has an antidote to counteract the effects of the poison. The rest, unfortunately, have no antidote and are more difficult to treat. There is also potential for relay toxicity, meaning that pets and wildlife can be poisoned by eating dead rodents that were poisoned by rodenticides.
Dietary Supplements and Vitamins
5.5 percent of calls were concerning dogs that ingested dietary supplements and vitamins. While many items in this category such as Vitamins C, K, and E are fairly safe, others such as iron, Vitamin D and alpha-lipoic acid can be highly toxic in overdose situations. Additionally, Pet Poison Helpline has managed several cases involving xylitol poisoning from sugar free multi-vitamins.
If you are worried that your pet has been poisoned call Animal Poisonline on 01202 509000. https://www.animalpoisonline.co.uk
‘Our Special Friends is the kind of social prescribing that can make a real difference to a person’s health’ says Matt Hancock
Fantastic article in the Bury Free Press written by Matt Hancock after his visit to Our Special Friends. Please click here to read the full article.
OSF General Newsletter, Issue 5, Jan 2019
Welcome to our January newsletter.
We are delighted to keep you updated with some or latest news, stories and dates for your diary. We always welcome your feedback and any contributions you might like us to include in our newsletter!
A visit from Matt Hancock…
It was a pleasure to have a visit from Matt Hancock,
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and local MP for West Suffolk. It gave us the opportunity to explain about the vital gap that Our Special Friends fill by providing human-animal support services in our community.
How volunteering helped fill a gap for Katey…
Louis and I started walking Silas, a
Golden Retriever, a year ago to help in a situation where his owner was unable,
due to health reasons, to keep up with his walking needs. We have always
wanted a dog, but due to always having cats and living in a flat, it has not
been possible. Being childfree means we also have a lot of free time, and
due to various reasons, we find it difficult to get out and about as much as
we’d like. We found OSF through Facebook and immediately thought it was a
fantastic charity and a worthy cause, and would allow us to spend time with
dogs, get out and about more and get some exercise, and help people in
the community at the same time.
Silas is the most amazing dog, and
we thoroughly enjoy walking him and spending time with him. We’ve built a
really good relationship with both him and his owner. It’s a fantastic
charity for our client, as Silas is her baby and making sure his needs are
taken care of while she is trying to get well and needing to focus on herself
is so important. Silas has had the benefit of making great friendships with new
humans, which he loves, and he is looking much more trim nowadays! He’s full of
love when we’re walking, rolling over and demanding belly rubs, and he always
has a lovely time and is fantastic with other dogs and people. Because of
his temperament, we were also able to borrow him to be an
OSF ambassador at a stand in Sainsburys in Mildenhall. As soon as he
arrived, people gravitated towards us and we were able to chat to lots of
people about the fantastic work the charity does, and everyone loved him.
Without OSF, Si’s health would not
be improving as much as it is, as the consistent walks have really helped him
lose some extra pounds, and having walkers who are reliable and focused on Si’s
care I’m sure has assuaged any concerns his owner had about him not getting the
attention or exercise that he needs. She knows she can trust us
implicitly with him, which gives her peace of mind, which is so important for
people who are unwell and in a situation where they need help caring for their
fur babies who mean so much to them.
We absolutely love Silas and his owner, and we look forward to continuing to be a part of their lives.
A Happy Ending…
This case came about when OSF had a stand at a GP open morning to celebrate the 70th birthday of the NHS. This elderly lady had recently suffered the bereavement of both her husband and her son. Her lack of mobility meant that she used a mobility scooter. She lost her own dog in 1991, and she was very keen to have a small dog to keep her company.
On assessment it was obvious that this lady would benefit from some AAA to alleviate her loneliness whilst looking for a dog. Coincidentally, OSF knew of a little dog needing to be re-homed urgently from another client and fast tracked this lady so that she could have the advantage of animal companionship as swiftly as possible. The little Yorkshire Terrier was collected and delivered to her with bed, food (supplied by previous owner) dog bowls and Pet Remedy to help her settle in.
Our client was so delighted with what turned out to be an excellent match. OSF managed to deliver the dog within 3 days of the assessment. She feels she has company now, he is good with her visitors and her neighbour’s son walks the dog for her. She absolutely adores the dog and he makes her feel she has a friend and he guards the house for her. She said that she couldn’t have asked for a better choice of dog.
“Our Special Friends have been most helpful in finding my little dog and were very careful to ensure he was going to a good home. He is an absolute treasure and has given me a new lease of life after losing both my husband and only son in the last 6 months. I think this is a splendid charity and are providing an excellent service to elderly and such people with their beautiful petting dogs”.
Karen tells us about the rewards of volunteering…
Karen and Alfie
‘I started visiting PB with my dog Alfie (standard poodle) in June 2018, the idea being that PB is able to go dog walking as he used to with his now deceased dog. He misses having his own dog, but Alfie helps to fill that void on a Saturday morning. PB waits at his window, a big smile erupting on his face when he sees that we have arrived…’
On our walk we talk about many things and meet many other dog walkers whom he loves to stop and chat to, as well as coax their dogs. I notice a marked improvement in his mood during the visit and am able to ascertain, to some degree, how he has been during the week and whether he has any particular needs. If so, I report back to OSF who can, if necessary, report to a family member (do not live locally). As well as taking various walks around the village, we have also visited Nowton Park and The Heath in Bury St Edmunds throughout the summer. On many of these walks it triggers memories for him.
During the last month I have occasionally taken him to some local coffee mornings where he meets a group of like-minded men, whilst I am there with a group of local ladies. Tickety Boo, Thurston, did allow PB to have Alfie with him as a therapy dog, for which we were very grateful. PB seems to thoroughly enjoy these outings, which enables male, as well as female, social interaction.
As well as enabling PB exercise and social interaction on a regular basis, we are able to collect his medication, if needed, and also purchase food items that he has run out of, or would like. (His main meals are kept in his freezer for easy access.)
Alfie and I enjoy our visits to PB and genuinely feel that he benefits in many ways from our visits.
District Veterinary Nursing Development Group
We are pleased to be involved with the District Veterinary Nursing Development Group. Do have a look at the video from the BVNA Congress 2018 ‘Fringe’.