Story and picture by Kym McDowell.
As I wait at the door to Mike’s house, I expect to hear a familiar bark to welcome me. The usual custom of a welcome bark does not come. Instead, Mike welcomes me inside with a very quiet and relaxed Mocha waiting patiently to greet me.
I get comfortable sitting across from Mike and Mocha soon takes this as an invitation to sit at my feet for attention. Mocha lives up to her name with warm tan fur, a brown nose and hazel eyes. She may look tough to some people, but Mocha is a big softy who is just ready for pats and ear rubs.
I turn my attention back to Mike and he tells me about how Mocha came into his life, “I was living on my own at that stage and my previous dog had gotten old and passed away. It was quiet in the house and I saw there was someone looking to rehome a dog down in Busselton. So I went down there with my daughter and we brought her home.”
It wasn’t all smooth sailing in the beginning though, Mike continues, “after about two weeks we noticed that she might be pregnant. We took her to the vet and they confirmed that she was. We got ready for puppies and I woke up one morning to seven pups. Then the next morning I woke up to another one!”
Mike’s daughter stepped in to support and cared for Mocha and her eight pups until they were weaned and could be rehomed. Although she did keep one of the pups.
Mocha was only about 18 months old at this point but once her litter had new homes she went back to settle in properly with Mike. “Mocha’s been a good little partner and pet for me. She’s obedient and house-trained”, he tells me.
Mike considers Australia to be his home these days; his noticeable Welsh accent giving away his point of origin, but he’s lived in Perth since the 1980s. “My wife and I moved here with our young children. Linda, my wife, died in 2021 and we’d been married for 55 years.”
He continues, “I’ll be 77 in a couple of months, at Christmas, and I’ve had a few health dramas over the years but I feel alright. Mocha is too strong for me to walk though.”
After his last dog, Jessie, passed away, Mike knew he wanted another furry companion, “Mocha has been good company for me. She’s a loving dog and she just wants to be friends with everybody. I sometimes get a little bit lonely but Mocha has improved my life one hundred percent.”
We start chatting about how POOPS supports Mike, “I found out about POOPS when I first got Mocha, so I sent an email. Once I got her vaccinations and registration sorted she could be walked by the POOPS volunteers.”
While we’ve been talking, Mocha has been sitting firmly perched on the floor between my knees, just enjoying the back rubs. Occasionally she turns around to stare at me with her big, brown eyes and snuggles in further, enjoying the attention. As if butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth!
“All the walkers have been keen and really nice. I’ve got 3 walkers at the moment. All the walkers have jobs but they fit us in, and it’s just a wonderful organisation”, Mike continues.
The walks are appreciated most by Mocha, Mike tells me, “Mocha loves her walks. She’s very happy when she knows she’s going out for a walk. She’s well behaved and just plods along on her walk. She is strong but she doesn’t pull. Mocha really is a loving dog.”
I take even more cute photos of Mocha, now resting her chin on the edge of her bed so she can watch us from under her expressive eyebrows. As we wrap up our chat, Mike tells me what his volunteer walkers mean to him, “I always thank my walkers. I say a big thank you for giving your time and giving it so freely. It’s marvelous that there’s people out there so dedicated to providing a service like this to people. I don’t know what we’d do without them.”
If you, or someone you know needs support with their pets please head to our Get Support page and complete your details.