Americans spent over $32 billion on their pets last year – and $25 billion on their children. This may come as a bit of a shock, however, we are becoming more and more aware of the emotional and physical rewards of owning a pet – or especially a dog.
The converted will willingly tell you that owning a dog auto-matically gives you a constant companion, friend, confidante, exerciser and instinctive soul re-generator. Yet it is only in the last decade or so that we have taken pets seriously medically, much to our own detriment.
Nowadays though, pet therapy can be a very important feature of cancer recovery programs, prosthetic limb replacement recovery, treatment for depression, speech inducement for severely delayed children and of course, just sheer pleasure for the elderly in hospices and aged care facilities.
However, when you consider how many patients/clients and carers could benefit from the pure love and support of a pet, the supply can never keep up with demand – that is, not until now.
www.woofywarehouse.com is a new pet goods supplier that has come up with what they think will be the answer to the dilemma. Owner of www.woofywarehouse.com Adele Sims saw firsthand the effects of having a pet around – or not. “I was driving the children to school one morning and we saw a man walking along who was afflicted with muscular dystrophy. His walk was staggered and his bad arm swung like a broken wing as he headed for home. We have often passed him on his walks and had become quite accustomed to him as he walked up the middle of the road.
“This particular morning we noticed that a woman with a soft and beautiful golden retriever was coming up to him in the opposite direction. As the dog came closer and started wagging its tail the man became so excited that he just had to pat the dog. A huge smile beamed across his face as he touched the soft head of the dog who happily lapped up the attention. But the owner of the dog became a little alarmed at this stranger and started pulling the dog away so they could continue on their walk. She pulled the dog away and walked on, but the man stopped and watched the dog go. His face dropped, his head bowed and he just stood there for quite a while and watched as the dog disappeared around the corner. It was a very sad and moving experience for both myself and the boys as they saw the scenario unfold. From that time on I vowed I would do as much as I could to bring people and animals together. And having our own dog supplies warehouse we were in a unique position to be able to help,” she said.
For every purchase over $20 from its range, www.woofywarehouse.com will donate a percentage of profits to the Delta Society whose main aim is to incorporate the benefits of pet therapy into varied programs which target the physical, mental, educational and motivational areas of people’s lives.
With animal involve-ment in therapy, Delta Society has found that both fine and gross motor skills can be improved, as can wheelchair skills. It can also dispel loneliness and reduce anxiety, develop leisure skills and promote short or long-term memory.
The benefits are too numerous to count and now there is a way you can support this essential cause whilst providing your own dog with all the supplies that this little hero deserves.
“We have had our own special Joycie – a Belgian sheep dog – for over nine years now and we couldn’t imagine our family without her. We jokingly call her our third child and the boys talk about her as their hairy little sister. And when our older son was little he had some speech problems of his own that no amount of intervention or lessons or whatever, seemed to bring right. It wasn’t until he chose and named Joycie and started trying to train her that he started to get his words right. It was only then that he was able to give clear directions and for the first time in his life he was able to yell out commands. This sounds ridiculous I suppose, but he had never been able to do that before – his words would always fade away. Joycie made a huge impact on his life and they are inseparable friends. We often find our son talking to her as if she were a best buddy and Joycie smiles and listens and nuzzles him as if she understands every word. She comes everywhere with us and is a much loved family member. If we can help bring some of this joy to others then we would consider ourselves to be very blessed.” Adele went on to say.
www.woofywarehouse.com will also give you the links and contacts you need to volunteer your services to assist others along their journey to recovery and wellness. You will also receive a complimentary “My Dog Cares“ Certificate, downloadable with your details.
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About The Author
Adele Sims is the co-owner and director of http://www.woofywarehouse.com and has long been a protagonist for the increased recognition of the value of including pets in the family/community realms. The health benefits of owning a pet are phenomenal and it's time now to celebrate that by supporting caring organisations who advocate the same.
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This article was posted on October 07, 2005
