SUPPORTIVE ANIMALS
CAMP SIMCHA has been running its Paws For Fun animal-assisted therapy service for just over a year. The charity, which supports families coping with serious childhood illness, has 11 volunteer dogs and owners who make weekly visits. Mandy Isaacs, the charity’s special projects co-ordinator, says: “Studies have shown that interactions with animals increase endorphins, promoting relaxation, pain relief, stress relief and joy. And it’s not only the ill child who reaps the benefits. Parents feed back to us that the dogs’ visits bring a feeling of joy and calm to the whole house.”
Miniature schnauzer Herbie, along with his owner Alex, is a welcome visitor to The Elias family from Finchley.
He has helped bring normality and fun back into the home after four-yearold Charlotte’s long and difficult treatment for a high-risk neuroblastoma.
The illness was diagnosed at just 18 months old. After chemotherapy, she had an operation to remove the tumour, followed by a stem cell transplant, then radiotherapy and finally immunotherapy.
For almost two years Charlotte’s treatment meant she was in hospital for long periods of time. The family had to be extremely careful to isolate her from any risk of germs.
Mum Natalie says: “There was no way she could have gone anywhere near a dog, let alone have one in the house to pet and cuddle. So for Charlotte to have the opportunity to enjoy and play with a dog once she had finished her treatment was wonderful. It gave her so much joy just to stroke and play with Herbie.
“For me it was wonderful watching her express herself like a normal child, after all she had been through. Just seeing her face every time Herbie came in, full of life and running around the garden playing ball with him, was amazing.”
Charlotte is now in remission but in the 22 months since she finished treatment, she has had to build up her strength again.
“I’m thankful that she has such amazing spirit but the treatment was so harsh,” says Natalie. “Her body is trying to catch up with all things it should be doing and she’s almost there. But it has taken its toll on the whole family — all the time she spent in hospital and all the time we spent there as well.
“There was no normality at home and my middle son Benji, now eight, was really impacted emotionally. Herbie’s visits have been just as important for him as they have for Charlotte.
“Benji suffers from a lot of anxiety now, worrying about things that a child his age just shouldn’t think about and Herbie’s visits really calm him. For that hour Benji gets to be a normal kid having fun with a dog. It’s been wonderful to see the difference it makes to both the children. Herbie and Alex bring pure joy and life into the house. Even my eldest son, who is 11, joins in and we get all the pleasure of a dog without the responsibility. It’s been really therapeutic.”
Jonathan Schuman and his dog Benji, a flat-coat retriever, visit Gavriel, a teenager with Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy. Jonathan has always tried to volunteer for important causes, so when he heard Camp Simcha was looking for four-legged volunteers for its animal-assisted therapy scheme, Paws For Fun, he knew Benji was just the dog for the job.
“He’s very well trained and he is a dog that loves to ‘work’, so I thought he would be perfect for this,” says Jonathan. “I knew it involved a weekly commitment but since we began I have just made sure that a specific afternoon each week is set aside for Gavriel and his family.
“Over time we have really developed a bond. Benji is always excited to go there and I have to say I enjoy it as much as they all do. Gavriel loves Benji and has really enjoyed being able to spend time with a dog.
“Over the months, our visits have developed so that it is all three of us hanging out together, rather than just Gavriel and Benji. I actually forget Gavriel is only in his teens. It is so uplifting spending time with him.”
Jonathan says he can see how soothing the dog’s visits are for the children.
‘It’s a great initiative. Dogs are almost better than people in this way, they are just so much more interactive.”
Jewish Blind and Disabled receives a different kind of support from animals, says the charity’s Tina Son. Owners can sign up their pets to become PETrons of the charity. There is an annual donation of £60 a year, covering however many pets an individual or family may have and in return for this the pet(s) receive a personalised certificate, a toy and an “I’m a PETron” badge, as well as having their photo proudly displayed in the PETron Gallery on JBD’s website.
TV personality Jonathan Ross recently judged a competition to discover which PETrons made him smile the most and winners received packages to celebrate their victory. The rewards given to PETrons are donated or sponsored, so all money received in PETronage goes straight to JBD. The charity has 27 PETrons so far, between them raising nearly £5,000.