Pets of Older Persons helping support elderly and disabled Busselton residents to keep four-legged friends

A Busselton volunteer group is helping the city’s elderly and disabled residents to keep their beloved four-legged friends at home. Pets of Older Persons provide fee-free pet care, with a mission of keeping people and pets together. The not-for-profit organisation works to prevent people having to give up their pets due to age, disability, or poor health, with its volunteers working to keep people’s beloved companions with them for as long as possible. Set up in Perth in 2010, the Busselton operation recently celebrated its fifth birthday. In that time, more than 300 volunteers have walked in excess of 100 dogs. Clients for the service are pet owners over the age of 65, palliative care patients of any age, or people with disabilities who need assistance with caring for their pets but are unable to pay for support. POOPS received the most community votes in the City of Busselton’s You Choose grant funding program, with the funds received being used to help clients unable to fully fund vet assistance. Mining company Rio Tinto also gifted the Busselton service $5000 at part of this year’s Community Giving Program, enabling stock of the eye-catching red TEAM POOPS t-shirts to be replenished. Six of its executives recently accompanied their volunteers on a walk. Prospective volunteers need to commit to a walk once a week unless they wish to do more and are matched with dogs who live close by. To volunteer, visit poopswa.org.au/volunteer-application or contact Busselton coordinator Cathy Gibson on 0417 935 434 or busselton@poopswa.org.au