Did you come along to our Issue 3 Launch Party? If so, you may remember seeing some adorable therapy dogs around. Sophie Poredos gives us a recap of the day and introduces you to some of the good boys and girls who came along.
Paws Pet Therapy: Matilda, Maddy, Reggie and Sharni pictured with their volunteer humans.
At Grapeshot’s Issue #3 launch party, lots of laughter was shared as we played games organised by our new events manager, Jemima. Thanks to everyone who stopped by and entered our games competition, three lucky readers got to take home a $20 boost voucher! It was pretty entertaining watching everyone struggle at the cheerio chopstick challenge (coined by Eva on our Grapepod team!), M&Ms in under a minute, and beer pong - minus the beer. :(
However, we got to share the space with some beautiful furry friends too! Macquarie University brought in the charity Paws Pet Therapy who shared the Central Courtyard with us as they went around looking for pats and cuddles. These dogs all passed their training and visit everywhere from nursing homes to hospitals, bringing some joy into high-stress environments. I got to meet all the beautiful dogs and spoke to their owners about what made them special.
Maddy: Quiet underdog but a real sweetheart. She seems to have a secret love affair with Sharni the German Shepherd.
Sharni: Very excited girl who would jump up on everyone to say hello. She was pretty exhausted after an hour of interacting with students but did love sniffing Maddy's butt for some reason…
Reggie: Even though it looks like he got stung by a bee here, this was one of my favourite dogs of the day. Reggie just curled up at my feet and loved a good chin rub. Plus he had the softest fur of all the dogs.
Matilda: Also called Mattie her owner; she is the greediest dog for pats and will sit down waiting for them. Roman’s story was very sweet, he got into this charity because Matilda’s grandma and mother also cheer other people up via Paws Pet Therapy. She’s a sociable dog and a chunky girl, it was hard to believe she's only 18 months old!
If you were lucky enough to see them on campus I hope these pups brought some extra joy to the very stressful exam period. Make sure you give your dog lots of pats this summer break or I’ll cast a hex on you.
Photographs: Taken by Sophie Poredos with permission
