Lorraine & Jet
I heard Jet before I saw him, with a booming bark I knew I was at the right house. I knocked on the door and POOPS client Lorraine greeted me. Jet, the Siberian Husky cross Kelpie, has a big bark, but he turned into a big softy after a little sniff at my hand. I was welcomed into Lorraine and Jet’s house to have a chat.
Jet is Lorraine’s constant companion and, since her husband passed away in 2022, has been her only housemate. Lorraine says, “I’ve always had shepherds and collies, but I lost a number of them to illnesses at young ages. After that I decided to rescue a dog instead”.
Jet came into Lorraine’s life at a time when her husband became sick. He was a great companion to her husband at the time, but Jet was always destined to be Lorraine’s pet. Lorraine explains:
If I didn’t have Jet I would be very lonely. Now that my husband, Brian, has passed away, Jet is my world. Because POOPS walkers come and walk him, I don’t have to give Jet up just because I can’t walk him.
Lorraine has been a client of POOPS for 2 years and Jet is lucky enough to have not just one POOPS volunteer walker, but two! Julia and Steve are married and walk Jet together, and sometimes apart depending on their schedules. “Jet just loves his walkers. Julia especially gets lots of licks and kisses from Jet when she comes to visit. He’s happy to go out and walk”, Lorraine tells me.
POOPS was recommended to Lorraine by a volunteer walker she knows in another area. Although not quite retirement age at the time, since POOPS also supports people with a disability Lorraine decided to give us a call. Lorraine is unable to walk Jet due to having a vision impairment and is immensely grateful for the service that her POOPS walkers provide.
When I heard of POOPS I thought they are amazing for those who can’t get out and walk their dog. People can stay in their homes and keep their dogs... It would be very hard if Jet didn’t have walkers. He is very content at home, but he needs to get out and walk.
Jet’s volunteer walkers have been visiting him for 2 years, and Lorraine tells me, “Sometimes I forget that Julia and Steve are part of POOPS because they are just part of the family now.” Not only does Jet get his walks but Lorraine appreciates the connection she has with Julia and Steve. “They visit and chat”, says Lorraine, “we now have a friendship, we talk about things other than Jet and we are in contact with each other frequently.”
POOPS walker Julia feels the same way. “Meeting Lorraine and Jet has changed my life and I feel very lucky indeed, our friendship means so much to me,” Julia says. This friendship and trust means that Lorraine has no concerns when Jet goes off on day trips with his walkers. She knows that they would never let anything happen to him. Lorraine tells me, “If I was paying a walker and I’d feel they were doing it because they were being paid.
POOPS walkers do it because they love it, and they wouldn’t come as often as they do if they didn’t love Jet. They walk him a lot!
While I’ve been chatting with Lorraine, Jet has been napping on the floor near our feet. He does keep an eye on us though, and I notice his ears and eyebrows twitch when he hears his name. Jet is a young, energetic dog and he loves his long walks for an hour or more. His walkers also take him to cafes with them, and play games like hide & seek to keep him stimulated. Jet has also picked up a new skill with his POOPS walkers. Julia and Steve took Jet to snake awareness training and this gives everyone peace of mind when he is out walking in the bush. Lorraine says that, “Jet loves bush walks and going to the river with Julia and Steve”.
As we start to wrap up our conversation I grab my hefty digital camera out of my bag and Jet is alarmed! He’s never seen anything like it before and high tails it out of the room to watch us from the other end of the house. I end up putting it away and taking a couple of snaps with my phone camera. “What a scaredy pup!”, Lorraine and I both laugh.
Lorraine reflects on her relationship with her POOPS walkers,
I’m so grateful to have them in my life. Clearly they love Jet, and I love them. I get on so well with them. They’re wonderful friends. I think they’re outstanding as people, they do such a brilliant job with him that I couldn’t ask for more…
They’re kind and caring, just the right people to be dog walkers, and Jet is their main focus when they take him out. I love them both to bits and Jet couldn’t ask for better walkers. Jet is always so happy to see them and that speaks volumes. I am very lucky!”
Lorraine reminds us of what a valuable service POOPS provides and has been for nearly 15 years:
POOPS is more than just finding a dog walker, they found me the people that are good friends as well.