DISABILITY and old age will no longer be a barrier from now on to those who intend to keep pets - thanks largely to Petpositive, the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association in Kuala Lumpur.

Anyone who fits under the two categories may seek the society's services to receive the therapeutic benefits of pets.

Formed last year and officially launched three months ago, Petpositive organised an extraordinary outing last Tuesday in collaboration with the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (Frim) in Kepong, Selangor.

The Petpositive event was called the Valentina Project, named after Valentina, a partially disabled nine-year-old rabbit which took part in an animal-assisted therapy (AAT) session last February.

Although Valentina sadly died two months later of cancer, her memory lives on.

About 80 people took part in an animal encounter session which marked the first AAT session in the country for disabled and elderly persons.

As an added bonus, the event included a one-hour walk in the Frim jungle offering nature therapy as well to the trekkers.

Nearly half of the participants aged 18 to 80, were people with disabilities, the elderly and their caregivers.

Suhakam's Siva present

The handicapped comprised people with a cross section of disabilities. They included the blind, deaf, the physically disabled to people with profound and multiple disabilities.

The elderly were made up of diabetics, persons with Parkinson's disease - as well as representatives of people with depression and mental illness. The rest were all Petpositive volunteers.

On hand to officiate at the half-day event (9am-1pm) was by Suhakam Commissioner Siva Subramaniam.

Speaking to the group, Siva said he was pleased to note that AAT was now being used in the country to improve the quality of lives of disabled and elderly people.

"By reaching out to people through animals, we are not only doing something quite unique from others," he said, adding that "it also wonderfully demonstrates the extent we as Malaysians are prepared to go to show our concern for those who are still marginalized in our society."

Siva concluded by commending Petpositive for its unique role and mission to the disadvantaged.

Speaking for Petpositive, Lynda Merican, the event coordinator explained: "We are passionate about getting disabled and elderly Malaysians to interact and bond with pets.

"By doing so, they will have the opportunity to draw from their often uncanny and special 'powers' for healthy and positive living," Linda added.

Participants were introduced to a variety of animals during the AAT session. These included two rabbits, one cat and three wild frogs.

The frogs were captured the night before from the forest. They were safely released back into their natural environment the next day.

Truly a joyous day

Participants got to hold, feel and even smell the animals. The blind and the deaf shrieked with delight as they said this was the first time that they had a chance to get so close to some of the creatures.

"It was such a joy to see the physically disabled and the others participate with so much enthusiasm even though some of them were visibly exhausted by the activities," observed Norsham Yaakob, a zoologist by training and a research officer of Frim.

Norsham conducted the animal exposure session.

The disabled in wheelchairs, accompanied by their dogs, also got to go jungle trekking in a special 400-metre area that was recently built for wheelchairs.

Frim research officer Elango Velautham, who conceived the idea of the wheelchair path to bring the forest closer to the disabled said that the most rewarding moment for him was the excitement he saw in the faces of the blind.

"They wanted not only to feel everything at every stop, but it was also quite a challenge for me to have to describe every detail to them," said the horticulturist whose responsibility was to lead all the participants through the jungle trek.

An elderly participant with Parkinson's disease said that although he found the jungle pathway too steep for his wheelchair, he was glad that he came.

The experience allowed him to meet people with different types of disabilities and to learn from their experiences.

A mother of a profoundly disabled young woman said she has never seen her daughter so happy to be with strangers at Frim.

"She usually cries when I am not around her," the mother explained.

"However, during the jungle walk, she allowed the volunteers to wheel her without making a fuss.

"That's because my daughter realized that she was in good company with people who truly care for her." She concluded.

For more information on Petpositive, visit http://www.petpositive.blogspot.com

- Contributed