Free ride service reunites pets with dying owners
It’s no secret that pets make our lives better – they provide us with comfort, companionship, security and have even been proven to improve our mental and physical wellbeing. However, some of us may find ourselves separated from our fluffy loved ones at a time when we need them the most. One Tasmanian woman is on a mission to change this.
In June, Kimberly Elford, owner of a Hobart-based pet taxi service, was called to bring two dogs down from Burnie to be by their owner’s side at a palliative care facility in the state’s capital – and she did it all for free. Seeing the owner reunited with their puppy pals got her thinking about the countless others who could use a service just like this.
She posted a call out to Facebook, requesting volunteer drivers to get involved in a new program to reconnect pets with their owners in care. “I want to start this as a service as I love my pets and spending time with them is precious to me in normal conditions, let alone these sad conditions,” Elford wrote.
The response was overwhelming. The post went viral, receiving more than 1,600 likes and almost 700 shares at the time of writing. In an interview with ABC News, Elford revealed she was contacted by almost 500 people offering their help.
“I am ever so grateful for the wonderful people who have reached out to help,” she wrote in a follow-up post. “As you know, our pets are family and they make us feel better and whole. To be able to help people this way would be a privilege and the right thing to do.”
It’s also an incredibly important part of improving quality of life for dying patients, according to Palliative Care Tasmania general manager Colleen Johnstone. “[Being away from their animals] can really add to a person’s stress,” she told the ABC.
“Pets are often the only companions that people might have, particularly elderly people who their spouse may have already died. So the types of services that can provide support [like] transporting pets to hospitals, palliative care units, can really alleviate a lot of stress and provide that level of mental and emotional support.”