By Amy Wilson-Chapman, Fremantle-Cockburn Gazette
LOCAL David Thewlis and his abandoned friends have something in common: they both like long walks.
The East Fremantle resident started volunteering with The Dogs’ Refuge Home when he decided that he needed to give something back.
“I just felt that animals needed our help,” he said, “especially in bad times it’s often the first thing that gets thrown out of the home unfortunately.”
With a pair of cats and a small house, Mr Thewlis said volunteering allowed him to “have a dog without having a dog really”.
The volunteer spends about three hours a week with the dogs, taking them for walks around nearby fields and even to the beach.
“They need human contact as well as actual exercise,” he said.
Mr Thewlis said he spent a lot of time building bonds with the dogs, which made saying goodbye hard, but rewarding.
“They can develop habits, they get a bit institutionalised and it’s those dogs that need to get adopted and worked with the most,” he said.
Currently, Mr Thewlis is trying to find a home for his four-legged friend Finn, a blue heeler.
“He is a good family dog, he is very sociable, he needs to be with people," he said.
Anyone interested in giving Finn a home should contact The Dogs’ Refuge Home on 9381 8166.