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Life as a blogger can be lonely. I spend a lot of time alone in my house. Sure, I have three pets, but when I start carrying on actual half-conversations with my dog or my cats, then I know perhaps it’s time to get out a bit more. That’s why I started volunteering so much in my area. I visit various organizations multiple times a week, the local rescue included, to get out and interact with people.
The very first group with which I looked into volunteering when I first moved to my area three years ago was Pets on Wheels. It’s an organization that helps pet owners bring their animals into nursing homes.
A few moments or longer spent interacting with a dog or cat can bring such light to the day of a resident in a nursing home. Sharing my animals’ love – it just seemed like such a worthwhile experience. I still believe it, even though three years have passed since I read about Pets on Wheels and I have yet to sign up for it.
It’s a lot harder to participate in Pets on Wheels than it immediately seems. Almost all branches of the program require volunteers to bring in their pets for an evaluation before getting them into contact with a nursing home. You might think that you have a loving, easygoing pet, but the standards for Pets on Wheels are much stricter than you might initially realize.
Is your pet a jumper? It’s out. Easily excitable? Also out. Doesn’t like being held? Gone. Startles at sudden noise or movement? Forget about it. Cat isn’t declawed? Still might be an issue.
Pets taken into nursing homes must be the calmest, healthiest, safest pets around. Pets on Wheels requires up-to-date veterinary information, and some even expect additional vet evaluations. Right after health, good behavior is paramount.
All pets taken to nursing homes must be exceptionally placid. They should enjoy being around people, but not so much so that their excitement might devolve into rowdiness (so there’s my dog out). Cats shouldn’t mind being held (there goes Cole). They should crave the affection that the residents will want to give them (here’s where I started to have hopes with Chrestomanci), but they should also be able to stay calm in the face of any sudden movements or noises (and there’s where I lost that hope).
The claws/nails of any animal taken into a nursing home should be well-clipped and filed to remove any sharpness or roughness, as the skin of many residents may be delicate. I wouldn’t be surprised if many local branches of Pets on Wheels would prefer declawed cats, but I imagine that well-trimmed nails, or ones covered with nail caps, would be acceptable.
Maybe one of these days I’ll actually adopt an animal with their suitability for Pets on Wheels in mind. I had real hopes for Chrestomanci, until I remembered the still-fading scars he left on Jon’s arms last summer when he became frightened during a grooming session.
If you have a particularly placid and loving pet, and some free time on your hands, you should seriously consider signing up for Pets on Wheels, or an equivalent group in your area. It’s a great cause, and a simple gesture you can make that might be so meaningful to someone else.
Related Articles:
The Animal Lover’s Alternatives to Owning Pets
How to Keep Pets off Furniture
Cats and Dogs Really Can Get Along
The Complexities of Pet Insurance
*(This image by JunCTionS is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)
