Borrower Helen ticks all the boxes of a pawfect borrower in our latest Waggy Tale. She helps take care of Ralphie the Border Collie every week, has a degree in animal behaviour, invited owner Margaret to spend Christmas with her, helps with Margaret’s illness, lives 5 doors down and the best bit, has become great friends with Margaret - “I love Helen, she’s such a lovely girl.” High paws!
Tell us a bit about Ralphie
Ralphie is the most soppy boy you can imagine. Even though he’s seven years old, he is very puppy like. He loves everybody and wants hugs all the time. When you first walk into the house he has to have a hug. The postman even comes down the driveway for a hug from Ralphie even if I haven’t got any post!
Why did you sign up to BorrowMyDoggy?
I used to live in a house that was too small for a dog, so when I moved to a bigger place, I wanted to get a dog as soon as I settled in. Someone local contacted me to say a Border Collie had been found abandoned in a stable and, as the local rescue centres were full up, he was desperately trying to rehome him. He knew I had previously owned a Border Collie and I agreed to adopt him. Unfortunately, getting Ralphie also coincided with me having a hip problem, which significantly curtailed my mobility.
As I was new to the area, I didn’t know anyone so when I heard about BorrowMyDoggy, I thought it would be a great way to find someone who lives locally and likes dogs to take Ralphie out.
How did you go about finding a local match for Ralphie?
Once I’d signed up and made Ralphie’s profile, I saw that Helen had added Ralphie to her favourites so I contacted her through the site. We messaged and arranged to meet up for a walk round the park. Ralphie loved her straight away. She is in her early 20’s and full of beans. She has a degree in animal behaviour and is just the nicest girl. We very quickly palled up.
How do you and Ralphie get on with Helen?
Ralphie adores Helen. She takes him out for walks every week and has also stayed at my home for the week to look after him and my two cats as well.
Helen and I have so much in common and we are becoming really good friends. We see each other all the time and she often comes round for dinner. We’ve started watching a TV series together too.
At Christmas my parents cancelled as they both had flu so I was faced with Christmas alone as my daughter was with her father. Helen heard about my situation and invited me to have Christmas with her family in Ayr. Her parents are about my age so we had a lot in common and got on like a house on fire. Ralphie came to Christmas, too, and had a lovely time. Helen’s family have two dogs, one of which is also a Border Collie, and they got on incredibly well.
How has BorrowMyDoggy made a difference in your and Ralphie’s life?
It’s incalculable. I love Helen, she’s such a lovely girl. Unfortunately, my condition has got physically worse and worse, so now I am having much more serious treatment to sort it. What’s brilliant is that Helen comes round and does things that I struggle to do and helps me out with everyday tasks as well as walking Ralphie.
Would you recommend BorrowMyDoggy to friends? What would you tell them?
Absolutely. You get out what you put in, like anything in life. Go into it with an open mind.
Do you have any more stories about your experience with BorrowMyDoggy?
My daughter is in her early 20’s and away from home at university. She came home recently and I had a onesie party for all of us, including Ralphie and Helen. Helen stayed the night and slept in the spare bed in my daughter’s room. They got on so well and were chatting all night. I had to go in at 3am and ask them to be quiet!
Recently, a flat came up for sale about five doors down from me. I knew Helen had been looking for somewhere to buy so I told her about it and she’s bought it! In a couple of months she will be moving up the road, which is amazing.
Describe your BorrowMyDoggy experience in one sentence.
BorrowMyDoggy has enriched not just Ralphie’s life, but my life as well.
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