*Jaymes' pronouns are they/them*
One of the reasons why we are so passionate about keeping people and their pets together, is because pets are a great motivator for those who are experiencing homelessness to find a safe shelter for not only themselves, but also their furry family.
Pets have an incredible ability to empathise with us and create an unspoken bond that enriches our lives. In a way, they choose us when we need them most in our lives.
For Jaymes, this was particularly true for their cat, Boo Boo, who Jaymes’ social work supporter describes as a ‘healer.’
“She has an intuition for Jaymes’ pain…she finds the sorest part of Jaymes’ back and sleeps there to heal it.”
Jaymes first met tiny Jack Russell, Molly, five years ago. At three-years-old, she had already been taken to the pound three times in her life. It was likely that she was being continually abandoned because of her anxious behaviour. Nobody was ready to take on Molly, and so she was put on a list to be euthanised. Nobody, that was, until Jaymes came along.
And so, Molly found her forever home with Jaymes, where they worked intensively to support her, redirect her anxiety, and provide her with a safe and comfortable shelter.
Jaymes and Boo Boo’s story was a little different. Jaymes had been living with Boo Boo’s original owner, but when they realised Boo Boo was being neglected, Jaymes provided the love and affection they knew the beautiful kitty needed.
Eventually, Boo Boo simply chose Jaymes as her human - and they’d been together ever since.
What led to the separation of the three was Jaymes falling deeply ill. They were in and out of hospital for months on end, and their significant illness impacted their ability to care for Molly and Boo Boo.
This profound struggle, combined with some extremely challenging troubles at home, changed Jaymes’ life in an instant. Upon returning home one afternoon, Jaymes had been locked out of their house and Molly and Boo Boo had been taken to the pound. In one fleeting moment they found themselves stranded and utterly alone.
Jaymes hit a point in their life where they realised that in order to provide the best care for Molly and Boo Boo, they needed to prioritise caring for themselves.
So, through sheer determination to be together again with their pet family, they temporarily separated from Molly and Boo Boo to accept safety in a shelter. That’s when we took Jaymes’ companions into our foster care program - so that we could ensure they received the doting care they needed while they were away from their favourite human.
”Molly and Boo Boo had been the driving force to work towards a home. They became the purpose and focus as to whether the next home would work for them all,” Jaymes’ social worker told us.
After hearing many stories from others who were staying in the same refuge, Jaymes started to recognise some alarming truths about just how easy falling into homelessness was. Some of the people they had met didn’t come from hard or poor backgrounds. Some had even once been millionaires. Now, they were all in the exact same place. As a result, Jaymes would never forget the harrowing experience.
It had been around 12 months since Jaymes last saw Molly and Boo Boo and their reunion brought tears to our eyes.
The close-knit trio settled into a new home together, a safe haven where the three of them each play an important role - Molly is the chief protector who barks at the unfamiliar people walking past; Boo Boo has taken ownership of most of the house as her own; and Jaymes is highly trained in providing cuddles and acting as a human pillow.
Jaymes has gained so much from the tiny pup and snuggly cat that they took a chance on.
Boo Boo has taught Jaymes about the importance of having boundaries as well as respecting them. Boo Boo has her boundaries and knows when she wants cuddles, love and attention.
Jaymes talks about Molly and their special friendship, and how they have both experienced a lot of trauma in life.
"Together they are healing buddies.”
Above all, Molly and Boo Boo have taught Jaymes that they aren’t any less deserving of love and care than anyone else, no matter what their circumstances may be. No matter how many bad days they have. No matter how much help they need to get better and beat their illness. Molly and Boo Boo have changed Jaymes’ life, and we’re so happy that they are all together again and providing love, care and cuddles to each other.
