Pet Friendly Aged Care

Hi there
My mum will be needing to go into an aged care facility in the near future and she is extremely attached to her small dog and is refusing to even consider going anywhere that wont allow her to take him. Im wondering are there any facilities in the Perth region that will take small dogs? Whether it be aged care, nursing home, retirement facilities, I would just like to know that there may be an option. Thanks in advance.

Hi saintn,I think there is a big diference between retirement villages and aged care homes with regards to their policy around pets. My understanding is that many retirement villages are pet friendly but it is up to the individaul village operator as to their policy. You would have to look at the villages’individual contracts to clarify this.With regards to residential aged care homes there are some that are “pet friendly”. However this is often more related to having family pets visit or the home has it own “facility dog or cat " or chooks or rabbits etc!During my 15 years working in the sector I did see the occasional situation where a resident was allowed to bring their family dog or cat with them, particularly if being separated from them caused huge distress. An aged care home has to consider who will be responsible for caring for the dog if your mother is not able to.I would think that being a small dog would most probably be an advantage but it would depend on the ag"personality” of the dog and management’s policy regarding pets in the home. My mother was very upset at not being able to take her dog with her when she moved into residential aged care so the family used to take the dog to visit her. However it is not the same as having a companion dog living with you.I would suggest you make a short list of homes you are considering and ring them and explain your mother’s situation. You may have success.All the bestRegardsJill