Bill’s busy rescuers at Vintage Pet Rescue weren’t sure how to handle the 10-year-old blind dog’s need to be carried constantly when he first arrived.
After that, they recalled having a life-sized human dummy.
It was the ideal response.
The large dummy, known as FARC, has been used by the sanctuary to reassure old dogs before.
When rescue owners Kristen and Marc Peralta wanted a solution for their senior pug Shorty’s separation anxiety, FARC was created out of necessity. Shorty would get depressed whenever Marc was gone because he missed his dad.
Then Kristen’s mother, Joanne McManus, had a brilliant thought: why not put one of Marc’s shirts on a gigantic dummy?
It performed flawlessly.
We initially assumed it would just be a cute photo opportunity, Kristen Peralta told The Dodo. But the dogs adored it, and it truly worked! ”
Now, FARC steps in to help whenever a puppy at the shelter requires a little extra care. FARC is content to chill out eternally, much to the delight of the dogs in his loving, plastic arms, even if a real human must eventually get up.
Every time we got a new dog with stress or separation anxiety, we’ve used FARC over the years, Peralta said. It’s truly amazing to see how the dogs respond.
FARC has been a fantastic way to keep Bill relaxed and happy when rescue employees aren’t present to hold him directly because he is a particularly anxious boy who doesn’t want to explore or be on his alone.
There is always work to be done at the rescue, despite the fact that we would love to be able to hold Bill all day. “All that matters is as long as he is at ease and content.”
Bill was ultimately accepted into his new family after spending weeks in the compassionate though lifeless embrace of FARC. He is now receiving all the affection he deserves from a person who has plenty of spare time to spend with him.
