Pets are imperative in the lives of older people, saving lives
Frankie came into my life about seven years ago as an 8-week-old puppy and at the age of six months immediately detected my stage 4 metastasised cancer. I was given 12 weeks to live! With incredible medical treatment and constant support of Frankie, I’m still alive.
We give presentations on behalf of The Melanoma Institute of Australia and fortunately, we live in a pet friendly building, where she is adored by everyone. When we visit nursing homes, the moment residents see Frankie, they get so excited and brighten up right away. It’s beautiful to see!
Frankie is amazing and has an uncanny ability to know when someone is sick. I have a problem with my left leg and had five knee replacements. Frankie would always lick that knee.
When we visit hospitals, particularly oncology units, she can tell when someone is going to die. During a visit with a patient, she normally sits on the bed and snuggles with them, giving them love and releasing oxytocin into their system. If someone is about to die, she sits towards the end of the bed and watches them. Sure enough, the person will pass in the next 24 hours.
We once visited a patient, Michael, with a severe stroke and for weeks he didn’t acknowledge Frankie or me. Finally, one day his hand started to move and after six months of rehab he left the stroke unit. The first word he spoke was ‘Frankie’. His family wrote a letter saying without Frankie and me, Michael would not have survived.
Frankie found my cancer when she stuck her nose into the left side of my groin and would lick, lick, lick. I was concerned and went to my GP, we did an ultrasound and the results showed an aggressive metastatic stage 4 melanoma. It had spread into my lungs and back. I had no symptoms and Frankie detected it.
My oncologist took a huge gamble and gave me immune therapy drugs and they continued to work. Every six months I have a scan and Frankie always comes with me. It’s lovely to have her there with me and staff love her everywhere.
Because my leg is fused from my last knee replacement surgery, I can’t walk long distances, so I use a mobility scooter, like when I travel to the hospital. Frankie has a special seat on it!
I discovered Delta Therapy Dogs about six years ago during a visit to the hospital and saw a visiting therapy dog. Had to wait until Frankie was nearly two years old before she could qualify to become a Delta Therapy Dog. Together we visit schools, hospitals, nursing homes, law firms in the city and universities. One of reasons I decided to join Delta is because the medical profession has done so much for me. I am so delighted with my medical team, I wanted to be able to give a little back. Volunteering with Frankie is one way to give back.
There are thousands of therapy dogs now throughout Australia and they play an important role in the recovery of people. Earlier this year, my sister Vicky, an Olympian equestrian, was competing and passed out due to a ruptured aorta. She was dead for 10 minutes and doctors were pessimistic about her recovery.
I knew Frankie would help her! They wheeled Vicky’s bed out of ICU into an area of the hospital where she saw Frankie. That was a complete turning point for her mental attitude towards what had happened to her. She was back on a horse in three months and jumping again at six months!
I’ve always had animals – dogs, cats, horses – they are absolutely imperative in our lives. Frankie gives me a reason to get up in the morning. We go to the park together and visit the local cafes, shops and restaurants. It means I’m out socialising.
Frankie also takes care of me at home. She feels it’s essential that she looks after me 24/7, following me everywhere at home. She saved my life three times – once when detecting cancer and two other times barking to alert the neighbours when I fell and had to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
Us old folks who live alone and are not as well as we should be physically and mentally, we must have a companion animal. The proof is in the pudding.
