Donna and Pebbles’ Story

Our Our Special Friends journey started after seeing a friend’s post on Facebook. Her dog had just started as a visiting dog with the charity. I was intrigued, so I asked her, when I saw her, what her dog does.As soon as she told me, I knew my dog, Pebbles, would make a great AAA dog. She is cute, cuddly and loves a cuddle; so, I got in touch with Our Special Friends. We both went and met the team and had a few checks to make sure we would be suitable. A vet check for Pebbles and we were ready to start.

We were matched with a lady, but unfortunately that didn’t work out, but then we were matched to a lovely couple.We really enjoy visiting them each week. Pebbles jumps out of the car and runs to their door, whining to be let in. Once inside we are always welcomed with a lovely cuppa and Pebbles doesn’t hesitate to jump up on the bed to say hello to the lady (who is bed bound), and clears up any lunch crumbs that have been dropped.The hour we are there disappears quickly. We chat and Pebbles gives lots of cuddles, especially when the man has the bag of treats!We really have been welcomed in by them and their family. We’ve been to birthday teas and my daughter visits with me in the holidays.

The feedback from the couple’s family really makes it so worthwhile, knowing how much the couple get from our visits. They really are our special friends. We were also matched with another lady and we enjoyed visiting her too, but due to health issues, she has had to put a pause on our visits. Hopefully when she is better, we can re-start. On a Friday we visit a lady who lives around the corner from us. We usually go for a walk and chat about our week. If it is too cold, we might stay in and have a coffee instead.

We have only been visiting since around September last year, but we absolutely love giving our time and have made some wonderful friends.

To volunteer with us, read our volunteer page and complete our online application form.