Pet Assist – Helping pets, and their seniors, stay together

The Cause

Last year, Calgary Seniors helped over 3,000 lonely, less fortunate seniors who had no one else to help, and had nowhere else to turn. The seniors we work with are some of our communities’ most vulnerable. They are struggling to get by. Many have mobility issues or mental health concerns. Many face adversities. They may be abused physically, emotionally or financially. Most are alone and without any social or family connections.

But what about their pets? What about the senior who can no longer walk their dog, or clean up after them due to mobility issues? What about the senior who cannot afford to pay a vet bill when their cat is in distress?

As with how many of our Volunteer Programs were created, Calgary Seniors identified a significant gap in services and we stepped in to fill that gap. Our Volunteer Services Team was seeing a significant number of seniors in need of assistance with their pet. These seniors needed support in appropriately caring for their pets to not only help keep senior and pet together, but also ensure pets are properly cared for.

Having identified this missing link between pet ownership and vulnerable seniors’ quality of life, we piloted a new program called Pet Assist that saw volunteers providing pet support for low income and isolated seniors. Pet Assist provides seniors with their pet care needs, thereby enabling the pet and senior to stay together as long as possible.

In 2017, our volunteers and community partners helped keep almost fifty (50) animals in caring homes. Forty-nine volunteers logged almost 600 hours helped clients with such tasks such as transportation to the vet, basic grooming, dog walking, changing cat litter, purchasing food and food delivery.

The seniors who are recipients of Pet Assist have no one to help them and no financial aid to help them with their pets. There are no other services of this kind in the city and too often the only option is to surrender the pet. The goal for the Pet Assist program is to have both the animal and the senior remain healthy and happy and together for as long as possible.

Who Will it Benefit?

Your support will help us reach our fundraising goal for the program, which will enable Pet Assist to run at full capacity, as there is currently a wait list. You can help us reach our goals for 2018, ensuring that over 100 seniors and pets stay together!

Your donation will help pets by:
• Fewer pets ending up in local shelters
• Better health care for pets
• Exercise, social inclusion and companionship for the pet

Your donation will help seniors by:
• Receiving the loyalty, affection and unconditional love from their pets
• Decreased anxiety and depression
• Exercise, social inclusion and companionship for the senior
• Bringing joy and laughter to daily life, which in later years is often uneventful