Paqui Téllez, the first person signed up to Malaga's pets for seniors plan: 'We help each other'

Paqui Téllez, 77, is not exactly the stereotypical older person living alone in Malaga. Widowed for 24 years, she has two children to whom she is very close. She is also a volunteer at Cudeca and an amateur painter. And now because she is an active person, she was the ideal candidate to launch the Anímate programme organised by the provincial authority, the Diputación de Málaga, and the Colegio Oficial de Veterinarios de Málaga (official college of vets).

The initiative has already succeeded in getting a dozen seniors to adopt, completely free of charge, abandoned animals as a way of combating loneliness, while the pet is given a new home.

Before retiring, Paqui worked as an assistant in a shoe shop and at the post office. A little over a month ago she saw on the internet - via her mobile phone - an advertisement from the Diputación about this initiative and a telephone number. She called and shortly afterwards she was contacted by the president of the veterinary association, Juan Antonio de Luque.

The organisation considered her to be a perfect candidate for the programme and sent her photos of several animals that matched her profile. Afterwards, she went to see them at the Centro de Protección Animal Municipal del Ayuntamiento de Málaga (Malaga city hall municipal animal protection centre). There she was introduced to seven dogs that were very similar, but she decided to keep the smallest and the one that looked the most vulnerable.

The dog was given her vaccinations and a full health-check before Paqui went to pick her up. "When I went to pick her up I found her in a carrier, very scared, I picked her up and started stroking her. She was very scared and very hungry. When we got home she ate the food from my hand, but now she doesn't want to do that any more," explains Paqui.

And that is how Yari found her new home. Paqui found the name, again, on the internet: "I was looking for name suggestions, because I have previously had several named Laika, but my son's dog is called that and I didn't want to repeat it, although sometimes I forget and change the name," she smiles, with the inseparable dog by her side. Yari is a healthy one-and-a-half-year-old Yorkshire terrier cross.

The animal's story is sad. Paqui was told that Yari was previously owned by a man who suffered from Diogenes and Noah's syndrome, and she was found along with a number of other dogs, some of which had died. The police removed them after complaints from neighbours.

Paqui and Yari have been together for a month now. "The neighbours tell me that she has improved a lot since she has been at home with me," Paqui says. Yari still has a little way to go and is learning how to socialise with humans and other dogs. Until she was adopted by Paqui, she had never been taken outside and was not socialised. "She stands still when she crosses paths with anyone," explains Paqui.

They give each other a lot of company and mutual affection: "She lies on her back for me to stroke her tummy and when I get home she gives me an impressive greeting, she stands on her back legs and paws at me, I don’t know how she learnt that". But, above all, Paqui Téllez recognises that thanks to Yari she now goes out more. "Before I never went out in the evenings and now I do, to take her out; I walk more, I exercise and chat with the neighbours who also have dogs".

Paqui Téllez is therefore very happy with her decision and calls on people who are lonely and like animals to follow in her footsteps. "It is very rewarding. I recommend it to everyone. You take the animal away from everything it has been through before and give it a good life, and it gives you a lot of company: we help each other."

The Anímate programme - 'Pets against Loneliness' was launched on 1 October and has two objectives: there are 75,000 older people living alone in the province and at least 3,000 pets in centres, shelters and refuges. "We want to help solve both problems," says José Santaolalla, the Diputación's spokesperson for older people, who is leading this initiative in conjunction with the college of veterinary surgeons, animal shelters and animal health centres.

The gateway for users is the "telephone number against loneliness": 900 92 30 92, which is the same number that was in place during the pandemic and lockdown, and which is still in operation to assist older people in this situation. The contact is referred to the professional association, which carries out a very thorough assessment to check that they are suitable based on factors such as their physical and mobility abilities and where they live.

Then the person is matched with an adult animal (puppies or kittens are not given), depending on their preferences and the adopter's situation. The involvement of family members is also requested, so that they can look after the pet in case of illness or travel.

Once accepted, the adoption form is filled in and, if necessary, the dog is even transported to the adopter's home, so that the adopter does not have to travel, especially from remote villages.

And all of this at no cost to the beneficiary: the microchip, the card, washing, deworming and documentation are paid for by the Diputación. They are also monitored afterwards, with regular phone calls, to see how the experience is going.

Although Paqui Téllez was the first, Santaolalla points out that there have been a dozen more adoptions through the programme in the province, either confirmed or in the process of finalising the paperwork. In order to spread the word and help those interested, workshops are being held in towns and villages on responsible animal ownership. "All of them have resulted in several people wanting to take part," says Santaolalla.