Alex Casey spends an afternoon on the job with River, the rescue dog on a mission to spread joy to Ōtautahi rest homes.

Almost everyone says it is never enough time. But River the rescue dog, a jet black huntaway border collie cross, has to keep a tight pace to make sure everyone gets a sufficient number of pats. When she happily trots into one of the resident lounges at Essie Summers retirement village in Beckenham, Scrabble tiles are dropped instantly and the afternoon game show on television is roundly ignored. “Lovely girl,” coos one woman. “Such soft fur,” adds another. 

River is a rescue dog who spends her Wednesday afternoons doing the rounds of central Christchurch rest homes with her owner Amelia Ryman from Dogwatch, one of the city’s longest-running dog rescue charities. Established in 1982 as a service to rescue, retrain and rehome dogs that have been abandoned or surrendered, Dogwatch has helped thousands of pound pooches find their people across the Canterbury region over the last four decades. 

“From a dog that was found wandering the streets to now living in a nice home and having a having a little bit of a job and a purpose is a really nice outcome for her,” says Ryman, fundraising manager at Dogwatch. “She can’t tell me, obviously, but I think she really enjoys going to the rest homes. It’s a feel good thing for both of us, that we can bring joy to people that aren’t able to have dogs in the rest home facility or are just feeling lonely.” 

A recent study revealed that almost a third of people over the age of 65 in Aotearoa frequently feel lonely or socially isolated, and that living in a retirement village doesn’t always fix the problem. “The assumption is always made that you cant be lonely in a busy, populated place but it is not the case,” Age Concern CEO David Lamb told RNZ’s Checkpoint. “You can be lonely anywhere and sometimes its even more acute if everyone around you seems to not be.” 

To combat these feelings, many aged care facilities such are enlisting the help of animals. Some studies have found that interacting with animals provides a positive experience and an opportunity to maintain a sense of self. Others have found that while older people in residential care value visits from animals, it is more of “a fleeting pleasure, rather than having a long-lasting or far-reaching impact on the daily experience of residential care.” 

When River and Ryman popped into each room in Essie Summers, there was a similar variation in the responses. Not everyone wanted a dog visit, but those that did really relished the time with River. “I’m just looking into her eyes and I can tell she is so intelligent,” said one resident, Marie. “It’s so lovely to see a dog again.” Marie told me that she used to share her life with an Australian Silky boasting the rather regal name Orlando of Rossmore.

“I didn’t want a dog, but the family did,” she smiled. “It cried all night and I was the one who had to tend to it, of course, for over 17 years.” Marie gestured to the collection of framed photographs on her dresser. “I should really have a photo of him up put up there.” In a nearby room, Eleanor recalled biking around Christchurch with her “spoilt” dog in her basket for many years. “You and me would go well together River,” she said. “But I might need a bigger basket.” 

The misty-eyed dog stories continued at almost every stop. Pam had two Dobermans called Major and Shayna, who worked as security when she and her husband used to run a motel. “They came in pretty handy,” she laughed. “We had an intruder one night and I called the police and told them ‘don’t come with your dogs, I’ve got my own’.” Julia had rescue dogs in Australia called Carly and Bimba. “They were spoilt, not properly trained, and I loved them dearly.” 

Other residents didn’t have their own dog stories to share – and some didn’t say anything at all – but one woman in particular, Mei, didn’t need to. River was making her final rounds around the lounge before 3pm happy hour when Mei grinned and waved her over silently. With a big wag of the tail, River went over and sat right at her feet for a treat and a big scratch behind the ears. Mei looked up, beaming, and gave us a huge thumbs up.