|  The
Light of the World Trust will provide a free dog walking and
pet feeding/grooming service to those in receipt of state
pension and physically disabled adults in receipt of Disability
Living Allowance. This service is currently available in Hillingdon
and Harrow and has recently extended to Bucks, Berks and Hampshire.
This free service is proving to be a genuine need of the elderly
and physically disabled.
It is well documented that owning a pet can
be of tremendous therapeutic benefit in situations of loneliness,
isolation and depression. Just stroking a pet has, in fact,
been proved to help in lowering blood pressure, relief of
headaches and many other stress related conditions. From a
security point of view a growling/barking dog is also an excellent
deterrent against intruders. Pets are great companions too
and sadly in many cases may be the only companion the elderly/physically
disabled person has. Many of these people choose not to have
a pet solely because they have no one to look after their
pet if they need to go into hospital or if they need to take
a holiday or perhaps stay with family.
The Light of the World Trust provides caring
volunteers who will exercise a service users dog, feed and
groom dogs and cats and even take the pet to the PDSA when
in need of veterinary care.
www.dash.org.uk
Users of our service tell us what a difference
it has made to their lives. They develop a friendship with
their volunteer and look forward to their daily chats. They
tell us they now hav peace of mind with the companionship
that owning a pet has given them, if their pet is a dog, they
are no longer afraid of their home being broken into by intruders
and no longer feel guilty about being unable to exercise their
dog.
Because our volunteers enter the homes of arguably
the most vulnerable people in the community, we take up references
of each volunteer, seek confirmation from their GP that they
are physically and mentally suitable.
In some cases people, having heard of the service
we provide, ask for our help in obtaining a dog or cat. A
volunteer has been able to drive them to the appropriate rescue
centre to choose a pet. The Light of the World Trust is working
in partnership with Age Concern and we also appear in their
handbook.
www.ageconcern.org.uk
We are seeking volunteer dog walkers who live
in Hampshire, Berkshire, Bucks, Hillingdon and Harrow.
Would you like to be one of our volunteer dog
walkers/pet carers? Would you like one of our volunteers to
help you look after your pet or exercise your dog?
You can contact us on 01895 271659/272305 or
e-mail us at
or send us a fax on 01895 230187.
An application form is available here.
 Free
in-house boarding for dogs and cats*
We have had many enquires from concerned service
users, relatives and neighbours asking if The Light of the
World Trust also provides retirement/short stay boarding facilities
for dogs and cats. Indeed, our service users tell us that
their main concern is what will happen to their dog/cat should
they need to go into hospital or a nursing home and when they
die. They tell us that they don’t like the idea of their
dog being cooped up in a kennel or their cat going to a cattery.
The trustees of the Light of the World Trust
agree wholeheartedly that it is traumatic and depressing for
a dog or cat having spent their lifetime in a warm homely
environment with much desired human company to end their days
confined in a kennel or cattery. Human companionship is essential
to all pets and for this reason The Light of the World trust
is currently fundraising for a large house with 4 or 5 reception
rooms on the lower floor. This floor being for the use of
dogs, the upper floor to be used for residential staff and
cats. One of the rooms used for the boarding for cats, on
the upper floor would access from a window, a large chained
linked enclosed run in which grass, shrubs and herbs suitable
for cats would be grown.
The ground floor rooms used for boarding dogs
would be central heated during the winter months and contain
old sofas and rugs, perhaps even TV’s and radios and
these rooms would have direct access to approximately three
acres of semi woodlands and open land. Since fighting between
dogs usually only occurs over the issue of food, out door
kennels would be used solely for feeding and grooming purposes.
As well as residential trained staff, The Light
of the World Trust will also use carefully selected and vetted
volunteers for the caring of these pets.
All the pets will be loved and cared for as
members of one large family, their individual needs being
carefully considered. The three trustees are pet lovers themselves
owning between them five dogs and four cats.
If you would like to help us fundraise for this
exciting and innovative project by making a donation please
click ‘How to make a donation’.
Your kind contribution, no matter how small will go a long
way in helping The Light of the World Trust realize our ‘in-house
short stay/retirement boarding facilities for dogs and cats.
* We would offer free boarding facilities
for pets belonging to the elderly i.e. those in receipt of
state pension and the physically disabled if they are in receipt
of DLA. |
