Your+Dog++May+2019

http://www.yourdog.co.uk 55

“They can encourage older

people to smile, talk, remember...”

“E ie and Diane

brigh ten my life”

Case

study

▼

proven health benei ts of dogs,

Wag & Company’s founder

and chair of trustees, Diane

Morton, explained that visits

from ‘friendship dogs’ are often

described as ‘a little sprinkling

of magic’. They can encourage

older people to smile, talk,

remember, and reminisce

about their own animals, and

even make the ef ort to leave

their room, or their bed, for the

i rst time in weeks.

“Wag & Company is

a simple idea — we are just

a community of dog lovers who

understand what it must be like

not to have a dog any more.

We want to make a dif erence

to the lives of our elderly

dog-loving neighbours safely,”

said Diane. Many older people

were coni ned to their homes

ABOUT THE

FOUNDER

After Diane Morton, 56,

retired early as director

of human resources at

Northumbrian Water

Group, she was keen to

follow a new path in life.

She was motivated by her

experience visiting residents in

a nursing home, with her husband Doug and collie Bob, as

part of a company volunteering scheme.

“From the moment we started volunteering, we saw the

amazing dif erence it made to people’s lives,” recalled

Diane, who currently owns eight-year-old black Labrador

Rufus, a rejected guide dog, and seven-year-old Border

Collie Phoebe.

“Then, when my own father became ill with vascular

dementia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

(COPD), we stopped volunteering, but I was amazed at the

way Dad could interact with our then Labrador, Harry. He

even greeted him by name, when he didn’t know who I was

at all. So, ultimately, I thought my years of volunteering,

my experience with Dad, professional background in HR,

occupational health, risk, and business management, and

belief in the power and impact of visiting dogs, meant

I was uniquely placed to i ll a gap. There was no organisation

in the UK that enabled dogs

to visit the elderly in their

own homes — the

challenge was to do it

professionally and

safely. In 2014/15,

I started to talk about

i nding a solution.

Now we have a strong

reputation, and

have received some

wonderful feedback.”

S

heila Moody lives in an isolated County Durham village

and is unable to get out of the house by herself. Since

her husband died three years ago, she doesn’t see many

people other than her daughter, who lives in Wales.

So, if it wasn’t for Diane Snowsill and rescue Lurcher Eddie’s

weekly visits, a fortnight might go by without Sheila having any

human — or canine — contact.

“I look forward to seeing Diane and Eddie each week,” said

Sheila, who hasn’t been able to have a dog since her Cavalier

King Charles Spaniel, Toby, passed away.

“Eddie and Diane brighten my life and have made such

a huge dif erence. I think Diane probably does far more for me

than she should, but it’s honestly appreciated so much.”

Diane explained that 11-year-old Eddie loves to snuggle up

with Sheila for cuddles, biscuits, and freshly-cooked chicken.

“I really enjoy visiting Sheila and seeing the joy that Eddie

brings to her,” she added. “She really reminds me of my mum,

whom I lost eight years ago, so it brings me great comfort, too.”

A

o

N

Gro

follow

She w

experience

g y g g g

Sheila says Eddie has

brightened her life.

Diane Morton.

Diane and participants at last

year’s Walk for Wag.

DID YOU KNOW?

Wag & Company covers

a colossal 8,592 square

kilometres of the North

East, from the borders of

Scotland down to North

Yorkshire.

According to research,

more than 51,000

pensioners in the North

East describe themselves

as lonely all or most of

the time.

DID YOU KNOW?

A 2014 report by the Pet Food

Manufacturers’ Association

revealed that the North East

boasts one of the highest

percentages of dog-owning

households in the UK, at 36

per cent, compared with the

UK average of 24 per cent.

DID YOU KNOW?

52-54 YD Charity CS(SW)ok.indd 55 26/03/2019 09:46