In this episode we hear from Kelly Barnes about what led her to start the Mates Dog School. Kelly shares her passion for her dogs and how they have helped her mental health, and how she uses it to help others. She also talks about the way we as people, especially farmers, see dogs in our lives.

Interested in the topic and looking for more?

Want to hear more about Kelly’s Mates Dog School? Check out the Mates Dog School Facebook page. You can also find articles about the school done on the:

• National Centre for Farmer Health
•  ABC

Kelly won the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award in 2020, which lead to the Mates Dog School. You can watch Kelly talking about the award and the school here. Find more information about the award and other past winners here. 

AgriFutures does a lot of other work supporting rural communities. Find out more about AgriFutures and how they could support your idea here. 

Kelly got the idea for the Mates Dog School from time spent with her own dog Dugald. There are many ways pets, especially dogs, can benefit our health. Check out the below for some of the other benefits:

•  7 ways pets improve your health
•  Five mental health benefits of pet ownership

Kelly began first seeing her relationship with Dugald differently after her Fibromyalgia diagnosis. Not sure what Fibromyalgia is? Or want to learn more about it? Check out: 

• Health Direct
• Better Health Channel

Fibromyalgia can cause chronic pain for those that have it. To hear more about chronic pain, check out our episodes:

•  Understanding Chronic Pain
• Living Your Best Life with Pain

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Facebook: @FarmerWantsaHealthyLife Twitter: @_FWAHL