1
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So Cariad Pet Therapy has roughly 90 volunteers with 90 dogs.
2
00:00:10 – 00:00:14
We go into different social settings, so it could be
residential homes, care, hospitals, workplaces,
3
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and we take a dog in and the aim is to try
and make someone's day a little bit better.
4
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I started volunteering when I had Raya as a puppy.
5
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She just exhibited the perfect signs of a therapy dog
and it's always been mainly the focus on her,
6
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so if she's happy doing it, I am.
If she's not, that's when we'll stop.
7
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Just seeing the impact that she can make on someone
in just the short time, in an hour's space, is massive
8
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and that definitely pushes me to keep doing it.
9
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I came across Cariad Pet Therapy when I worked in my previous role in WAST.
10
00:00:45 - 00:00:47
They would actually have the dogs come in there and
that's when I first got introduced to them
11
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and since then I always wanted to volunteer for them
just because I love animals, I love dogs,
12
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and yeah they were very welcoming.
13
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We did an assessment with Kovu which she passed
14
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and then they've just contacted me ever since
just for the opportunities that they have arising.
15
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It makes me feel that I have purpose when I volunteer for Cariad
because I feel that I'm helping someone.
16
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Obviously, this is their every day and then coming in
and giving them the opportunity to pet a dog
17
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or have that little companionship or that little breakaway of what they're doing,
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it just makes me feel really good and I'm actually giving something back.
19
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Volunteering for me has given me a massive boost
for my own personal mental health and well-being.
20
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Just going and having someone relying on you, I've got to get up,
I've got to be there, I've got to be present
21
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and then seeing the impact it has on them
and how they progress over the weeks going on.
22
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One thing I've learned through volunteering is
you can actually give a lot by giving a little.
23
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I've learned that pet companionship is very important.
24
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It does make a difference to someone's day and just having that companion,
25
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especially when they haven't got their family around,
their own pets or their own friends around, it makes a difference.
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And I've learned just to be present and I feel that being present
and patient with someone makes a difference to their day.
27
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If somebody was considering volunteering but was sat on the fence,
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I would just say do it.
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Jump into it, grab it with both hands, treat it as an opportunity.
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The impact you can have on someone else's life
will pay you back in abundance and it's just fantastic.
31
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You'll really enjoy it.
ON SCREEN TEXT
00:00:00 - 00:00:04
Caldicot
Wales
00:00:09 - 00:00:13
Sasha
Volunteer
00:00:44 - 00:00:47
Shannon
Volunteer
00:02:11 - 00:02:14
Ordinary people
Extraordinary impact
00:02:15 - 00:02:17
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