Visiting Wag Team, Stephanie and Alfie, visit Doreen in Yarm

Doreen is 89, she lives alone in Yarm but has a very supportive family close by. Doreen is a huge dog lover, she used to have a Basset Hound but for health reasons a dog of her own is no longer possible.  She really enjoys watching people take their dogs for a walk past her house and her family felt it would help her to have contact with a dog again.

Steph and Alfie visit every week to coincide with a day the family can’t be there and Doreen’s always very pleased to see them both.  Steph told us:

“Alfie loves all the fuss and cuddles and treats of course.  Doreen’s favourite part of the visit is feeding Alfie his treats.  Alfie’s face is a picture when he sits or lies down and tries to understand what she is saying to him. His concentration is brilliant.  Doreen loves not only giving him his treats but listening to him crunch through each piece! She’s amazed how he manages to chew so much before swallowing.  She said Bassie, her last dog, would just eat the lot without chewing at all! 

We took Doreen a framed Alfie photo last time and some freshly picked raspberries from my garden – she loved both and the raspberries were eaten before I left.  The picture is a different matter though, she’s going to have a think about its new location so that she can see it when she sits in her favourite chair.”

It’s wonderful to see new Wag friendships emerging again now all across our region.