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item in our Living Well section (Page 60) about three ways to banish loneliness caught my attention. Most of us have experienced moving to a new area, away from our friends and family. people’s dogs. And what a connector our four-legged friends can be! My hubby, Simon, is chief dog walker in our family, and s Pet Editor, Dizzy, is much more than a pretty face (you are welcome to admire him on Page 18. Haha!). He is a connector par excellence. Each time we’ve moved home, he’s been the key for Simon getting to know pretty much everyone in the neighbourhood. On weekends, when all three of us walk, lots of locals stop for a friendly chat. When I ask Simon who we were just talking with, he’ll say ‘Digby’s dad’ or ‘Brucie’s mum’. Which is enough, really. Not so long ago, we were out for dinner and someone in our party mentioned that a great friend of theirs lived just around the corner from us. A short description of the nearby friend followed, at which point Simon asked, ‘Does he have two schnauzers?’. Sure enough he did. Next time we saw him with Biggles and Algie, we introduced ourselves. And so a new connection was made. But you don’t have to be lonely to enjoy dog walking. Not so long ago, I asked our local vet if they had any canine patients whose owners were unable to walk them. They didn’t, and I wondered if there is an organisation that puts people hoping to walk a dog in touch with people who, for whatever reason, are unable to do so. If you know of one, I’d love to hear about it.
