Visits from friendship dog changes lonely woman's world

Stuck at home alone in a village outside Durham, Sheila Moody has found her weekly visit from Eddie the lurcher "brightens" her life and has changed her world.

Her husband died three years ago and her closest family live in Wales so the visit from Eddie and her owner Diane Snowsill is the highlight of Sheila’s week.

She says: “I look forward to seeing Diane and Eddie each week. I think Diane probably does far more for me than she should, but it’s honestly appreciated so much.

“I don’t see many people; Diane and Eddie brighten my life and have made such a huge difference.”

The visits are carried out on behalf of the charity Wag & Company, which was founded two years ago and operates across North East England. The charity visits elderly dog-lovers living at home or in care homes and so far has carried out nearly 29,000 ‘friend’ visits to over 1,600 people.

Diane Morton, who set up the charity and is its director says: “Over 50,000 older people in the North East describe themselves as lonely most or all of the time, and this number is expected to increase significantly, so our work has never been more vital.

“Many of the people we visit have found themselves unable to care for a dog anymore or have not been able to take their dog into care with them, at the same time as losing family and friends.

“Some people have found the transition to care quite difficult and a visiting pet brings comfort. Our visiting Wag & Company teams provide much-needed friends, with two and four legs, to visit people who can often feel isolated.”

Diane Snowsill and her gentle, rescue lurcher Eddie, is one of 222 volunteers for Wag & Company. She has been visiting Sheila regularly for the last two years.

Due to poor health, Sheila is unable to get out of the house by herself so the visits are invaluable. As well as home visits, Diane takes Sheila, who has had dogs all her life, on trips to the seaside with Eddie.

After Sheila’s last dog Toby, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, died, she hasn’t been well enough to look after another dog. She was referred by Age UK County Durham to the charity. Diane says: “I really enjoy visiting Sheila and seeing the joy that Eddie brings to her. She’s originally from London, as was my mum. We lost my mum eight years ago and Sheila really reminds me of her, so it brings me great comfort too.

“Sheila is amazing. She used to run a pub and has some brilliant stories, as well as some strong opinions! Eddie loves her, too. He’s usually quite timid, but as soon as he saw Sheila he was visibly calm and he enjoys cuddling up to her for fuss and treats.”

Earlier this year, Sheila, Diane and Eddie paid a visit to Simonside Primary School in Jarrow as pupils were looking at how seemingly small things can have a big impact on a person’s life. Their project was called ‘Can one person change the world?’

Nikki Woodrow, Year 5 teacher at Simonside Primary School said: “We focussed on how one person can change the world. After hearing about the brilliant things Wag & Company does, our children were very keen to get involved.

“The children really engaged with Sheila’s stories and listened to how she loves visits from Diane and Eddie. One pupil even gave Sheila a spontaneous hug when she heard about her war experiences, which was heart-warming to see. We’re thrilled that the children have a chance to experience the difference the volunteers are making every day.”

This year, the charity also teamed up with an NHS trust in a bid to keep older people out of hospital as loneliness is known to be as dangerous to someone’s health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust can refer people to the charity as they “are best placed to know how beneficial our visits would be and then to risk assess the whole situation and refer to us using our online Home Visit Referral Form,” according to the charity.

Wag & Company is always on the lookout for volunteers who can spare one or two hours a week to visit someone with their dog. To be eligible dogs only require basic training and general obedience.

Its aim is to have a thousand volunteers on its books so it can help more people like John Robson, whose wife of 60 years, Nora, died six years ago. He has found the visits he receives from Sean and his dog Alfie have given him “such a wonderful lift”, saying “it’s the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me”.

For more information on Wag & Company click here