If You Go Down to the Woods Today!
How did a quiet Sunday morning walk in the forest have an unexpected, but wholly worthwhile impact on our passive retirement? Being ‘accosted’ in the nicest possible way by the formidable Bin Johnston is the answer to that question. ‘They’d be perfect’ was the comment about our dogs that made us ask what she meant by that.
Less than a month later both my husband and I, and our older dog Bilbo, were AAA volunteers; and I was giving one day a week of my time to help in the office. Poor Digby, the younger dog failed his interview in quite a spectacular manner. Firstly, he refused point blank to climb the stairs up to the office, so all 20Kg of him had to be lifted up to the first floor, then carried back down again later. He further let himself down and disgraced himself by excitedly/nervously leaving little puddles all over the place. Bless him! What else could we really expect from a 15-month-old puppy of a breed that can take up to four years to mature? You will be pleased to know that nearly six months on, he can now climb and come downstairs very confidently and has learnt to better control his excitable bladder!
Bilbo, now 5 years old, proved to be an OSF star. He goes on two separate visits a week to two widows, one in Bury St Edmunds and one in a village just outside the town. As soon as his OSF neckerchief goes on, his demeanor changes as if he knows he’s on duty. On arrival at the client’s home, he happily greets them and then sits down next to them, usually resting his chin on their lap. His two new friends are very fond of him.
Both these ladies live alone, have mobility limitations and one rarely leaves her house. They have also owned dogs all their life, but are unable to do so now. One lady is in her late eighties and the other is in her early nineties. They may have physical limitations, but they are mentally bright as a button, and both my husband and I get huge enjoyment from chatting with them and listening to their life stories and experiences. It would be difficult to know who enjoys these visits the most; the clients, my husband, myself, or Bilbo, who always gets a treat and a big fuss.
Two hours or so a week is not a lot of time to give to bring a bit of sparkle into two lonely ladies’ lives. All three of us, human and canine, get so much out of it and one day Digby will have grown up enough to join the team and bring a little happiness to another person.
Other than visiting people in their homes, Our Special Friends offers a number of other services to the West Suffolk community which are aimed at enhancing the health and well-being of both people and animals. I do recommend anyone to find out more about this charity. We certainly do not regret being waylaid by Bin on that forest walk on that April Sunday morning.