Jess Willson
Ryan left his farm at 8pm on Friday the 3rd of January as the fire was upon them. He managed to take the two working dogs, however couldn’t find Jess so he had to be left behind. They returned the next day to find their house and shearing shed burnt to the ground. They worked on the farm all day without seeing Jessie and came back into town that night, fearing the worst. They returned to the farm the following day and around lunch time, Jess suddenly appeared out of the rubble. Somehow, he managed to find a safe place, and despite being covered in soot and ash, he only sustained superficial burns.

The ongoing fires of the past few weeks have sadly left many people and their pets homeless. Many pets are therefore being housed in unfamiliar environments, often with unfamiliar people and unfamiliar pets. Their routines are disturbed, frequent travel may be involved, and nothing is familiar. Owners are busy trying to salvage what’s left whilst starting to rebuild their lives. All of these sudden changes, lack of routine and unfamiliarity cause most pets some stress and anxiety. Consequently, this can lead to a number of behavioural and/or medical conditions in your animals. We need to consider both the displaced animals, as well as the pets who are now sharing their home, as they can all experience stress and anxiety during this time as well.