Richard has lived an extraordinary life. Born in Poland in 1932, he was taken to a Siberian labour camp with his mother and brother at just eight years old. Richard and his mother lived in Africa before arriving in Australia in 1950.
He now lives a modest life 40 kilometres north-west of Melbourne, in a cosy home with his wife, Oscar the cat and Felix the dog. Richard and his wife have seven children, and have given up counting their grandchildren!
Richard is an incredibly intelligent and talented man. A former photographer and music teacher who also built a house from scratch, Richard has decided to write his autobiography. Life for Richard and his wife is tough, on just $300 per week on the aged pension. "If you are a single person it's not too bad, but if you're married, forget it. People say my wife and I should get a divorce!" laughs Richard.
Felix spends a lot of time with me and we have become like one.
Richard
His buddy
Felix is an eight-year-old long-haired Chihuahua. "A very human dog I've had since tiny," says Richard, who wanted a small dog and found Felix advertised on a Coles noticeboard for $300. "For a long time he was just a dog I looked after, but now he is my buddy. Since I got him, we walked. About 1km every day, rain hail or shine. That's stopped now."
Sadly, on their daily walks, Felix has been attacked twice. In the first attack, another dog came through Richard's front gate and attacked Felix in their yard. The second was just outside their house on the footpath.
The second attack was the worst, resulting in horrific injuries, four surgeries and the loss of a front leg.
"People only think about Felix, [they don't] think about the person who was there. All of this happened out of my control. A big dog attacking a Chihuahua, what do you do? It was shocking to watch," remembers Richard.
When Felix climbed under the barbecue, Richard knew he was dying. Rangers and the police were called. Richard rushed Felix to his local vet, but was told they couldn't help him because they were closing. They did, however, give Richard Lort Smith's business card.
With the help of his daughter ("a 200-per cent dog person"), Felix was brought to Lort Smith, where our vets tried to pin the leg with screws. Sadly, there was no saving the leg.
Pets In Need
The costs of Felix's treatment were mounting, and Richard simply couldn't afford them. "You can put a caveat on the house so it's yours when I go, or take it out of my pension," offered Richard. It was abundantly clear how much Felix meant to Richard and his family. A Lort Smith Pets In Need application was lodged. It's a financial assistance program for people experiencing genuine financial hardship.
Applications are assessed case by case. Richard's application was successful, and Lort Smith agreed to cover 70 per cent of Felix's treatment costs. "This was absolutely fantastic news; I was jumping up and down with joy. Behind every cloud is a bit of sunshine," says Richard.
"Lort Smith means a lot to me and I am absolutely happy with the whole Lort Smith experience. If I relied on the local vet, Felix would be dead by now."
Felix has changed since his operation. He is now absolutely petrified of other dogs. But Richard and Felix still take their daily walks together, with Felix now riding in a customised "pusher".
"Felix spends a lot of time with me and we have become like one," says Richard.