An ageless bond
Seniors celebrate the importance of companionship
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This article was published 31/08/2015 (3866 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Age shouldn’t separate man from his best friend.
For 90-year-old Victor Willms, a resident in Tuxedo’s Portsmouth Retirement Residence (125 Portsmouth Blvd.), sticking with his three-legged dog Toby was a must if he had to relocate to a retirement home.
“When the family decided it was time for me to go somewhere, well here I am, and the only reason I’m here is because they allow dogs,” Willms said, sitting on the lawn at the retirement home with Toby. “Not every place allows dogs.”
Toby, a rescue dog from Edmonton that was hit by a car as a puppy, immediately bonded with the senior about four years ago, and since moving into the retirement residence with Willms, has become friendly with many of the residents at the home.
“His tail is always wagging and he’s such a friendly dog,” Willms said. “Every morning Toby and I have breakfast… and people come and his tail goes, and he knows the people who will feed him.”
On Aug. 26, Willms and his neighbours celebrated National Dog Day at the residence by bringing the pups out to play on the lawn, participating in a hot dog eating contest to raise funds for The Winnipeg Humane Society, and inviting some of the shelter’s volunteers who brought by more dogs to socialize with the residents.
“We’re celebrating our furry residents, as we call them,”said director of recreation Krysten Neufeld.
Within Winnipeg, there are just a handful of assisted living facilities that allow small dogs and cats.
According to Neufeld having dogs at the facility is important to the recreation experience at the home and gives residents a sense of purpose.
“There’s so many benefits of having a pet and the company understands that,” Neufeld said.
“The residents just light up when they have their animals, which is neat to see. That’s also why we bring in pet therapy dogs through St. John’s Ambulance once a week.”
For Willms, having Toby around means that there is always something to look forward to in the morning.
“I get up when he gets up,” Willms said. “He’s a good motivator to get going.”