November 2004

I’ll show you how to walk the dog

By Vicki Durston

Former Kew Residential Services resident Russell, now living in a community unit, has started walking a dog once a week as part of the Pet Companion Program run by the Knox Community Volunteers.

Dog owners who need help with care are matched with people who want to spend time with a dog but who can’t have their own.

Russell’s house-mates don’t share his passion for pets.

Russell’s first outing with Patch was rather tentative.

He would hold Patch’s lead for only a while then let go.

Over the next few weeks, Russell started taking progressively more responsibility for Patch.

Eventually, Russell would not allow anyone else to take Patch’s lead at all—Patch was Russell’s dog.

Patch also started to see Russell as ‘his’ too.

When he came to visit the CRU and was off the lead, Patch would follow Russell wherever he went.

Involvement in this community program has had many benefits for Russell.

His road skills improved considerably from leading the dog.

He stops to talk to people on the way and compare dogs, as all dog owners do.

He gets out into the fresh air and into the local parks.

Walking the dog gives Russell something to look forward to.

It teaches him co-ordinations skills, such as the all-important one of how to untangle himself from the dog lead.

It teaches him how to care for something other than himself and, in return, have another care for him.

• For more information on Kew Residential Services and its redevelopment visit www.dhs.vic.gov.au/kewredevelopment.