SYDNEY —- Helen MacLeod has her hands full with Bailey.
The 60-pound dog is friendly, energetic and bigger than MacLeod had thought he'd grow to. And since MacLeod had knee surgery, taking Bailey for his necessary two walks a day became a bit more difficult for the 75-year-old.
"After my husband died, my kids said, 'Mom, you need to get a dog. You need a companion, you know,'" MacLeod said, sitting at the kitchen table in her Blacketts Lake home while Bailey stood on the chair behind her, staring out the window.
"Now they're saying, 'Mom, he's too much for you.' He is bigger than I thought he was going to be."
In December 2019 MacLeod had surgery on her knee and she's been unable to walk Bailey as much as she when she first got him in 2018.
"He needs two walks a day, at least," MacLeod said. "If he doesn't get that, you can see the difference. He mopes around the house, like a child who hasn't gotten his way."
In May, MacLeod read about ElderDog in the Cape Breton Post and became one of the first seniors to enlist their help.
The organization helps seniors take care of their dogs in areas like walking, grooming and taking them to veterinary appointments. They also help rehome or foster dogs of seniors when their owners are unexpectedly unable to and there is no cost to the seniors.
"They are a godsend. An absolute godsend. Bailey gets walked by a volunteer with them five times a week. I still get my morning walks but I can't do two. Now I know he gets the exercise he needs."
MacLeod also said she likes the fact ElderDog had her sign over pet ownership to them in case of an emergency because it means Bailey will always have someone looking out for him.
NEED VOLUNTEERS
Heather Kerr is the volunteer head of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality's ElderDog chapter. Since launching it eight months ago, the volunteer group has taken on eight dog-walking clients, rehomed one and is currently looking for a foster family for a great Dane whose owner was recently admitted into hospital.
"It's been going really well," she said. "People are being really supportive. We have some great volunteers and dogs are being walked."
One of the dogs being walked is Piper, who was a little "chubby" and couldn't go far when ElderDog first started coming. Kerr said now he's lost weight is eager to go on long walks every time he can.
"He's come a really long way," Kerr said. "It's amazing to see these dogs, who wouldn't just leave their owner at first when we came, now they're like, 'Walk? OK, bye!'"
Along with looking for a foster family for the great Dane, Kerr said they're always looking for volunteers.
Anyone wanting to volunteer or looking for help from ElderDog is asked to go to elderdog.ca or the ElderDog CBRM Facebook page.
Nicole Sullivan is education, enterprise and diversity reproter with the Cape Breton Post
