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| Tricia and Anton. |
Tricia Miles is Coordinator for Animal Care for Seniors
At Home, a pilot program designed to keep seniors and their pets together. She’s
also an active volunteer and animal lover who took a moment to chat to SAT
about her life and dogs.
Who are you and what do you do?
As a retiree, I'm lucky
enough to be able to do things that I hold dear - volunteering at an animal
refuge and walking their dogs. My husband and I also spend time with our
own beloved dogs. I'm also involved in matching senior citizens (living
at home with their pets) and volunteers to help care for those pets.
How did you come to be involved with YAPS and what
do they do?
When we moved to Cairns,
we got our first refuge dog from YAPS, then a second one, then a third.
It is a refuge for dogs and cats and has a no-kill policy. Apart from
taking in unwanted, sometimes terribly abused and neglected dogs and cats, the
small dedicated staff find the best homes for the animals. It is a not
for profit organisation that depends on donations and sponsors, plus has
boarding facilities and an active voluntary fundraising committee. There
are some wonderful foster carers, a support group for teenagers who learn
about caring for animals, and a number of volunteers assisting in keeping the
refuge going. There are never enough volunteers though. YAPS
provided me with a retirement lifeline to do something good for animals while
enjoying myself. YAPS can be found on www.yaps.org.au
Can you tell us a bit about the non-humans in your
life?
We currently have our
fourth little female yellow labby. The previous three were pedigrees
before we became aware of the importance of adopting from a refuge. It
was amazing to adopt Shelly from YAPS and still have a labrador as we gallop -
stumble might be a more apt description - around in our seventies. The
other love of our life is a 16 kg black staffy/kelpie cross, an adored little
old greying girl who came from YAPS some 13 years ago. Shelly wouldn't
come inside and didn't know how to play when she came to us and was a whopping
40kg; she is now 30 kg in under 12 months, knows how to open the door to come
inside and loves playing with her older canine sister. It's a joy to
watch them.
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| Georgie and Shelly enjoy a laugh. |
How do you spend time together?
Shelly and Georgie sleep
inside with us and yes, mainly on (or in) our bed. They are the first to
stir in the morning and make it known they are ready to start the day; if only
us oldies had such exuberence to greet the day! The four of us walk down
to buy the paper; Georgie can't walk as far as she used to (but still runs like
a greyhound and thinks she is a rottweiler), so I keep going for an hour or so
with Shelly. They usually nap with us in the afternoon, and watch tv in
the evenings, jostling for a position on the couch. They are incredibly
hospitable to other dogs so we often have friends' dogs staying though it gets
a bit cramped on the bed!
If you could do one thing to improve the lot of
companion animals in this world, what would it be?
With the small pilot
program I'm active in - Animal Care for Seniors at Home (ACSAH) - I hope I am
doing something good to keep older people and their pets together.
Recognition by retirement villages and aged care facilities of the importance
pets are to humans will go a long way to solve the problems of keeping them
together. It works overseas - why not in Australia? (You can get in touch via email - cairnsacsah@gmail.com)
What are three qualities you think
are important in a vet?
Love of
animals, capability, and understanding that not all pet owners belong to Mensa
so a vet needs a bit of patience in dealing with the humans too.
Do you have any advice for vets and future vets?
People who care for
animals are wonderful. I'd really like to see vets take on the
pharmaceutical companies and lobby for lower prices for consumers. Yes,
we love our pets, but it becomes a daily battle for lower income people to
provide the very best of care for them. I wish they could expose backyard
breeders, report any animals they feel may have been abused, and be available
to advise and support any educational programmes to teach people that animals
hurt too and need love.
How can people in general help companion animals?
Talk to your family,
friends and neighbours. Ask if they can help you with your pet if you are
having problems coping and tell them what should happen to your pet in an
emergency if you were unable to care for it. Keep their vaccinations up
to date in case they have to be boarded at a refuge. Ask your health provider,
doctor, vet or community centre if there is a programme in your area that
provides volunteers to help you care for your pet.
Is there anything else you wanted to share?
No matter the terrible pain of losing your
beloved pet.... how awful a life not to know that incredible love. I will
always have pets, but now (as I age) they must be older ones; hopefully they
will die of old age before us so we know they have been loved and are not left
to an uncertain fate. I would never let my animals die without me holding
them and telling them how much I love them if I am fortunate enough to have a
choice.Thank you for your time Tricia and all the great work you do.
