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Little did I know, when I sat down to create a pet therapy course in 2012, that this would
become my life for at least the next 11 years. With it came all the highs and lows of running a
charity, of working with amazing people, wonderful loving dogs, and so many people who
can benefit from a safe and professional pet therapy service. Fast forward to 2024 – from
our humble beginnings, we have since trained over 500 teams! To achieve this, it took a
team of clever, dedicated and enthusiastic people – our 5 office staff and Committee of 5.

Knowing that we deliver over 62,000 smiles to people every year is what keeps us
motivated, and the amazing stories we hear from our volunteers every day keeps us
passionate about continuing this wonderful service into the future. With a nursing
background spanning 30 years, experience in community services for people with disability,
volunteer experience with Riding for Disabled and the skills needed to run our family
electrical business, I feel that the stars aligned for me to create PAWS Pet Therapy following
a pivotal time in my life – a stint with breast cancer in 2008.

 

A recent move to Cow Flat, just outside of Bathurst, with my husband has enabled us to focus on and enjoy the simple things– our horses, dogs, chooks, sunsets, open fires and rolling hills. I am immensely proud of the work PAWS Pet Therapy has done over the years, and the magic moments it has created.

We still have much work to do, and I feel very positive about the future of PAWS Pet
Therapy.

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Sharon