Home sweet home – GemLife’s a paw-some place for pets

RETIRED VETERINARY SURGEON ERNIE YOUNG IS IMPRESSED BY PET-FRIENDLY GEMLIFE RESORTS AND HE SHARES SOME ADVICE FOR PET OWNERS.

Ernie says the fact GemLife homes are completely self-contained gives pets the opportunity to feel secure in their own environment.

“One of the biggest risk factors of moving into a new home with a pet is having them escape their yard and getting run over,” he said.

“That, of course, doesn’t happen at GemLife because every home comes with its own secured and gated yard, and if a pet should sneak out – which rarely happens – the resort itself is gated.

And at GemLife Maroochy Quays, we have a Facebook group, so it doesn’t take long for dogs and their owners to be reunited.”

With 50 years’ experience as a vet in Sydney, Canberra and on the Sunshine Coast, Ernie has seen and treated a lot of pets over the years and says it’s a pleasure to see so many responsible pet owners at GemLife.

“The pets here are typically desexed and older,” said Ernie. “And cat owners ensure their pets stay in their yards – in fact, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a cat wandering about in the 18 months since I’ve lived here.”

As for dogs, Ernie has found that each one he’s encountered has been very well socialised.

“When the dogs are out, they are always on leashes,” he said. “We have a lovely boardwalk here at Maroochy Quays and two to three times a week, there are a number of dog owners who get together for walks and play times and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog fight.

“But I think the biggest benefit of having a pet here at GemLife is for the owners. Dogs need walking and people need walking too!”

Even though Ernie no longer practices, he is occasionally called on to give a pet the once over to reassure their owners.

“I can tell someone whether their pet needs to go to the vet or whether it will be just fine with a little monitoring.

“Just the other week I got a call from my daughter who was concerned that her dog had eaten half a chocolate cake,” he said. “Now that dog is a 32kg staffy and my recommendation was that since the dog enjoyed the cake so much, perhaps he should have eaten the other half as well.

“On a dog of that size, something like cake probably won’t be of concern, however if the dog is only two to three kilograms, then yes, you might need to take him to the vet.”

While Ernie doesn’t have a pet of his own, he has made fast friends with his canine neighbour, a lovely cavoodle.

“He’s a brilliant little dog, very pleasant to be with,” he said. “Whenever he and his owners come over to our place, he ends up sitting under my chair.”