An Ontario filmmaker recently premiered a documentary to help a volunteer-run non-profit raise funds to continue to help seniors care for their dogs.
Dwight Storring of Kitchener, Ont. aired Dog’s Best Friend on YouTube at the end of January to bring awareness to the efforts made by ElderDog Canada.
“I have long admired the work that they [ElderDog] do in helping older folks stay connected with their companion animals,” Storring says at the beginning of the film.
ElderDog was first founded in Nova Scotia in 2009 by Dr. Ardra Cole and it now operates all across the country, including Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows.
Pitt Meadows’ Anne Burgess-Clark’s two Shih Tzu-Papillon-cross pups, Cooper and Ellie, have local volunteers from ElderDog visit them weekly.
READ MORE: VIDEO: Non-profit helps local seniors with dog care
Burgess-Clark contacted ElderDog in July, after she was advised by her orthopedic surgeon that she should not be taking the dogs out.
“The reason I use [ElderDog] is because of my health. I am not able to walk them,” the 62-year-old previously told The News.
“They (ElderDog) really care about [my dogs]… in fact they become a part of your family because you trust them.”
The non-profit offers services in a variety of areas such as dog care support, re-homing of dogs, education, and bereavement support.
Money raised by the organization is used to support the dogs, which in some cases can be costly.
The 50-minute film explores “the life-changing stories of five families and their dogs. Viewers will meet an aging great Dane, an athletic German shorthaired pointer, a wire-haired rescue dog, two French bulldogs, and a bull mastiff as they navigate their changing family circumstances.”
“These five short films will show just how much we depend on our dogs to celebrate the good times and also weather the bad,” Storring said.
For more information or to donate visit www.elderdog.ca.
@JotiGrewal_
joti.grewal@blackpress.ca
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