‘POOPS WA’… seeing this abbreviation can quickly stop people in their tracks, however the good they do in the community will warm your heart. Since 2010, Pets of Older Persons (POOPS) has been a quiet but powerful force helping older Western Australians stay connected with the animals they love and cherish.
Based entirely on volunteer support, POOPS WA is a registered charity with a simple mission: to keep people and pets together.
For many older people, pets are more than companions, they are family. So, when life circumstances change due to age, illness or mobility challenges, it can become harder to meet a pet’s everyday needs. Here’s when POOPS steps in.
POOPS WA provides fee-free support to eligible pet owners who are over 60 or receiving palliative care. Services include dog walking, transport to the vet or groomer and pet welfare support. The one thing all POOPS volunteers share is a love of animals and a desire to help.
What began with a few volunteers and clients in several Perth suburbs has grown into a strong community. Volunteers are now active across the Perth metropolitan area and Busselton. Every day, this network helps pets stay in their homes with the people who love them.
POOP’s beginnings in WA
Inspired by the original POOPS in New South Wales, the idea to launch POOPS WA came to Perth after duo Richard Wheater and Tangea Tansley finding out about the NSW initiative online. When Tangea contacted Kath in NSW, she received a warm but firm reply: NSW was the only POOPS she was focusing on at the time, but there was nothing stopping one starting in WA.
After Tangea and Richard asked friends and family if they would volunteer, more than a dozen people put their hands up. The local RSPCA agreed to hold early donations in trust, and things began to move quickly.
In 2010, the POOPS team gave radio interviews and spoke at hospitals, senior centres and councils to spread the word about the services they could offer at a time of need. Thanks to a grant from the City of South Perth, the group were able to formally set up a bank account and committee, and family members stepped in to help once again.
Since then, POOPS operates with a board and has expanded its partnerships with councils, businesses, vets and groomers to offer extra benefits to clients, like discounted services.
This amazing band of volunteers, including a few of our team here at Advocare, has gone from strength to strength, as volunteers continue to join and support older people, and their pets, at a critical time of life.
If you’d like to learn more about POOPS WA, adore animals, and might consider becoming part of this wonderful, community-based initiative as a volunteer, or you need support walking your dog and meet the criteria, visit their website or follow Poops WA on Facebook. LINK: https://www.poopswa.org.au/
