Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / RSPCA Happy Paws Happy Hearts Founder Zoe Black says a new initiative connecting veterans, people with a disability and mental health issues with rescue animals is being launched in Darwin

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RSPCA Happy Paws Happy Hearts Founder Zoe Black says a new initiative connecting veterans, people with a disability and mental health issues with rescue animals is being launched in Darwin · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: As I mentioned before, we know that there's a new
• 0:01
  Speaker 1: initiative it's going to be connecting veterans as well as
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  Speaker 1: people with a disability or mental health issues with rescue animals.
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: It's being launched right here in Darwin. It's called Happy Pause,
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  Speaker 1: the Happy Pause, Happy Hearts Program, and it's been delivering
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  Speaker 1: positive results in other parts of the country, which has
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  Speaker 1: indeed led to its expansion here to the Northern Territory.
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  Speaker 1: Now joining me on the line to tell me more
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  Speaker 1: is the CEO and founder, Zoey Black. Hi.
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  Speaker 2: Zoe Hi, Katie, thanks for having me.
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  Speaker 1: Great to have you on the show. Tell me a
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  Speaker 1: little bit more about what the Happy Pause, Happy Hearts
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  Speaker 1: Program involves.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, well, it's as you beautifully described there, it's about
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  Speaker 2: connecting people with rescue animals. And what immediately comes to
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  Speaker 2: most people's minds is that would be lining them up
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  Speaker 2: with a pet. But we're actually quite a bit different.
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  Speaker 2: So what we do is we find veterans, people disabilities,
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  Speaker 2: mental health challenges, and we actually bring them out to
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  Speaker 2: location and we bring the rescue animals in and they
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  Speaker 2: learn how to train and work with rescue animals.
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  Speaker 1: How amazing. Now, what exactly would the participants be doing.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so they're learning all about great animal training skills,
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  Speaker 2: socialization and enrichment. Also those really fundamental work around rescue
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  Speaker 2: animals at the RSPCA there in Darwin with a lovely
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  Speaker 2: team that Adam has there. So they're learning all about
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  Speaker 2: you know, the language and the stress signs that you
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  Speaker 2: see in rescue animals while also working on their own
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  Speaker 2: personal development. And in other programs, we see people move
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  Speaker 2: from working with us right through to employment or back
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  Speaker 2: to education or into independent community roles.
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  Speaker 1: And how would it benefit those involved or I mean
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  Speaker 1: you've probably seen it now unfolding in different states. How
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  Speaker 1: does it really benefit those that are involved? Yeah?
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  Speaker 2: Look, I knew first hand how difficult it is to
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  Speaker 2: pull yourself out of the isolating situation and meet new people.
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  Speaker 2: And what rescue animals do is that they really I guess,
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  Speaker 2: mirror that journey with you. They connect you with other
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  Speaker 2: people in a fun and engaging way. And really what
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  Speaker 2: we provide is skills and social networks and then just
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  Speaker 2: that sense of purpose piece of actually you know, working
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  Speaker 2: with rescue animals just really can change your attitude about
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  Speaker 2: yourself and give yourself confidence to then go on to
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  Speaker 2: other things in life, which is really really rewarding.
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  Speaker 1: And so are there certain animals that are you know,
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  Speaker 1: that are better suited to different people or people who
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  Speaker 1: are maybe you know, going through different difficult things.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Look, we often find that people will come in
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  Speaker 2: and they'll have a passion for a particular animal, whether
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  Speaker 2: that's dogs or cats. You know, people always have that debate.
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  Speaker 2: But really we work with what animals the shelter team
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  Speaker 2: most needs us to work with, you know, and the
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  Speaker 2: wet there or the start of the wet, you might
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  Speaker 2: see more surrenders coming in as people leave, So we
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  Speaker 2: work with what our safe to work with, and you know,
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  Speaker 2: try to give that animal a really good experience, build
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  Speaker 2: their positive association with people, and help them on their
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  Speaker 2: journey to finding a new home. Tell me when we
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  Speaker 2: find some people really surprise themselves as to what animals
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  Speaker 2: they get into because they learn more about different animal types.
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  Speaker 2: It's amazing what people can get interested in.
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  Speaker 1: I reckon it sounds phenomenal. Tell me about some of
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  Speaker 1: the successes of the program from what you've seen in
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  Speaker 1: other places where it's already operating.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, look, I've got so many different, you know stories
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  Speaker 2: that means so much to me personally. Obviously, this was
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  Speaker 2: something I started. I didn't know if it would have
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  Speaker 2: an impact for other people. I just knew that I
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  Speaker 2: really felt like rescue animals needed extra hands on time,
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  Speaker 2: and the part that I wanted to see was whether
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  Speaker 2: or not when we engage people, they would also go
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  Speaker 2: on their journey. And we've certainly seen that. You know,
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  Speaker 2: there's this beautiful young woman in Brisbane that I saw
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  Speaker 2: from the first day she walked through the shelter where
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  Speaker 2: she really didn't say much at all and mum was
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  Speaker 2: doing all of the talking, and now she's a chatterbox,
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  Speaker 2: running her own business and also volunteering at the shelter independently.
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  Speaker 2: We have amazing track record with veterans as well. They
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  Speaker 2: have a particular passion for dogs, but they're also just
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  Speaker 2: really good at that work with dogs that have experienced
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  Speaker 2: their own trauma and the routine and consistency that they need,
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  Speaker 2: and the patience that those dogs need. We just find
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  Speaker 2: that the veterans are really well matched to that space.
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  Speaker 1: What an incredible thing that you've done. I think this
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  Speaker 1: sounds amazing. I know that there's going to be people
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  Speaker 1: listening this morning thinking how can I get involved.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, please reach out to us now, like we've already
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  Speaker 2: got our trainer actually just raring to go, and we
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  Speaker 2: know it's challenging to get out and the web, but
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  Speaker 2: we're available. We are going to be in an air
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  Speaker 2: conditioned room. Adam and his team are really great and
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  Speaker 2: they need that extra time with the animals. So please
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  Speaker 2: jump onto our website. You can probably just google Happy Cause,
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  Speaker 2: Happy Hearts or HPH foundation dot org and connect with
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  Speaker 2: us and we'll talk you through everything from there and.
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  Speaker 1: See how many other locations is this operating in currently.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so we've got six locations in total at the moment,
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  Speaker 2: and it's yeah, each time we go into a new area,
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  Speaker 2: we you know, connect to other people. And I guess
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  Speaker 2: when I started it, I didn't realize just how much
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  Speaker 2: it was needed across the country. And it's been really
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  Speaker 2: interesting to for see how every time we go to
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  Speaker 2: a new location we find people who needed access to
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  Speaker 2: a service like this. And of course the rescue shelters
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  Speaker 2: have been knocking at my door saying when are you're
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  Speaker 2: coming here? When you're coming there?
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  Speaker 1: And do you reckon? Like do you think that you'll
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  Speaker 1: find in a place like Darwin that it's going to
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  Speaker 1: be incredibly popular given our huge defense presents.
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  Speaker 2: I do. And I've had you know, conversations with a
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  Speaker 2: local community, with rehab providers and with the RSPCA, and
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  Speaker 2: that was one of the real I guess attractions from
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  Speaker 2: the RSPCA perspective, because they are out and about in
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  Speaker 2: the community so much, and they knew that we'd done
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  Speaker 2: this work with veteran from the very beginning of the
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  Speaker 2: organization's history. It's a real passion area of mine, and
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  Speaker 2: so they felt like it would be really well placed
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  Speaker 2: in Darwin and sell the contact that I've made.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, Zoe, phenomenal stuff. I think it sounds like it's
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  Speaker 1: going to be a great program. Maybe'd be really keen
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  Speaker 1: to find out how it's going once you've been operating
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  Speaker 1: for a little while here in the territory as well.
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  Speaker 2: I'd love to, yeah, circle back and let you know
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  Speaker 2: how we're going and the impact of the distance for
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  Speaker 2: experiencing and of course you know the amazing worker they'll
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  Speaker 2: do for those animals. It'll be really great.
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  Speaker 1: Well, happy pause, Happy Hearts founder and CEO Zoe Black,
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  Speaker 1: lovely to speak to you this morning. Well done on
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  Speaker 1: this work. It sounds incredible.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you Katie, Thanks everyone
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  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for your time.