Therapy dog takes a ride for dementia awareness

The two-year-old Maltese shih tzu mix, with his fluffy white coat, took pride of place in the front basket of Vonda’s pushbike as she participated in the 2024 Pedal the Map challenge to raise money and awareness for dementia.

Across October, the dynamic duo, with Teddy leading the charge, rode 601km and raised $1530 in donations while doing it.

While Teddy, with his little legs, could not help his owner with pedalling, he completed his own job of looking cute, doing it dressed in his sunglasses and rainbow cap.

Vonda chose to participate in the ride for dementia because she and Teddy have seen, first-hand, how dementia affects people.

Teddy is a therapy dog who has visited aged care centres such as Warramunda and Sheridan regularly to say hello to elderly people and keep them company.

He’s a popular figure among the residents, taking to sitting on their strollers, running around their feet or lying in bed with them.

“He can smell sickness,” Vonda said.

“There’s a lady that has been sick for a long time, and she just loves Ted, and he’ll just go in there, and he’ll lay next to her ... he just knows that she needs someone.”

Vonda said she had also had family members who had experienced dementia, and she had seen how dementia affected not just the person, but the entire family as well.

“We did this to create awareness for everybody out here in this community because those that don’t deal with somebody that’s got it are unaware of what it is and what it’s about, and it’s absolutely horrible watching somebody with dementia,” he said.

Vonda’s impact on dementia awareness has been indisputable, according to Kyabram advocate Mick Simpson.

Mick is known around town as the first person that would put his hand up to participate in a challenge of this kind.

In 2023, he made the 12-day journey from Allan St in Kyabram to the steps of parliament in Melbourne, making stops along the 184km trip to speak with community groups and raise awareness of dementia.

So, it was no surprise that Mick was seen driving, sirens and all, alongside Vonda and Teddy as they took their first turn around Kyabram.

“I followed her around … I thought I’d follow around just to make sure everything’s all right, but really, she knows what she’s doing,” Mick said.

“She’s done really well and got the word out there, and that’s all we can do.”

Mick has been at the forefront of advocating for dementia awareness since he was officially diagnosed in 2019, with his passion for campaigning spreading across the Goulburn Valley.

He said it was essential to keep knowledge of the disease out there so more could be done to help and support those experiencing it.

“It’s great to be able to say to our locals (with dementia), you haven’t got to sit down in the chair and cry at night-time … We’ll make it easier for you — we’re not going to solve it, but we’ll put you in the right direction,” Mick said.

“I’m getting slower, things are getting harder. But everybody that I walk past on the street, nobody knows what’s going on inside.

“I won’t remember (this interview) tomorrow.

“But, with what Vonda’s doing, seeing her biking down the street or on social media, the people now are starting to talk where they wouldn’t before, and that will be the future of our awareness campaign.

“She’s just got to stop going around the corners too fast and trying to throw the bloody dog’s glasses off.”

Following the success of Vonda and Teddy’s ‘ride for dementia’ campaign, the not-for-profit organisation Together for Dementia shared the duo’s inspiring story on its Facebook page.

This spotlight brought their journey to thousands of users, propelling Teddy to fame well beyond the streets of Kyabram.

“We just like making people happy,” Vonda said.

“And if it takes seeing a dog in sunglasses riding around in a bike to do that, then we’re happy to be able to be that source.”