Rescue dog great company for Yooralla customers during lockdown
Ten-year-old Honey was adopted as a puppy from Starting Over Dog Rescue to keep the five residents at the property company.
Rescue dog Honey, who lives at Yooralla’s Newbury Court residential site, was a “godsend” for customers during lockdown, says Claude Bennett, Lead Support at the service.
Ten-year-old Honey was adopted as a puppy from Starting Over Dog Rescue to keep the five residents at the property company.
“She is a very nice dog with a very calm, gentle personality.
“She was adopted at the age of eight months, so she’s been part of our customers’ lives for a decade now,” he said.
Honey fitted right in when she first moved to Newbury Court and over the years has developed different relationships with each resident.
“Some customers love holding the leash when walking her, some like walking just beside her, while others prefer to play at home with her,” he said.
Customer Miles (pictured right) is Honey’s main “walking buddy”, while customer Dan (pictured left) is her main “cuddling buddy”.
“Dan will say he wants a cuddle with Honey and go get her. It is not unusual to find Dan sitting patting Honey. He thinks Honey is the best!” said Claude.
During lockdown Honey made sure that all of her housemates kept active and entertained.
“Customers would take turns to walk Honey, play ball with her in the garden or just cuddle up on the couch with her on those cold winter nights while watching TV.
“She’s really helped our customers to keep busy and organised during lockdown. She still had to be walked daily, which meant that we continued with our normal routine and structure to the day,” said Claude.
To learn more about Yooralla’s Accommodation service that provides supported independence for people with disability across Victoria, you can visit Yooralla’s website, book in for a free information session or download Yooralla’s free guide to Housing in the National Disability Insurance Scheme.