Meet the couple behind Canberra’s Pet Ambulance
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While an ambulance ride isn’t something that any of us particularly wish to experience, knowing it’s there in times of emergency provides enormous comfort for Canberra families…but what about our pets?
Claudia and Jarrod Male are the vet nurse husband and wife team behind Pet Ambulance Services – the first operation of its kind in Australia.
“There are certainly other ambulances,” Claudia is quick to point out. “But they’re mostly mini-vans, station wagons or just a normal sedan. No one is doing it quite the way we’re doing it, and we’re proud of the fact that we’re leading the way and setting the benchmark.”
Beyond a knowledgeable and compassionate team, one of the elements that make Pet Ambulance Services unique is the ambulances themselves. They’re ex-human ambulances that have been refitted to Jarrod and Claudia’s design and requirements to safely transport animals.
They might not have flashing lights and sirens, but their distinctive appearance means that many drivers give way to the vehicles, allowing them to quickly make their way from vet clinics or homes to emergency clinics across Canberra and the surrounds.
“We have oxygen on board, we can monitor blood oxygen levels and blood pressure, we have a fluid pump, we can also transfer what they call twilight patients on the advice of a veterinarian if they need the patient sedated we can do that,” explains Jarrod.
When Jarrod originally started the business in 2007, he was often working alone, simultaneously transporting and caring for the animals. The new ambulances were equipped with reverse facing seats and space for extra cages.
“The cages were custom built by a friend who did an absolutely amazing job. He did it so that it was as safe as we could make it for the animals, but also safe for the person sitting in that reverse facing chair. We also had to consider how we were going to load the patients, we have animals, especially dogs, weighing up to 90 kilos. Quite often, we’re carrying animals on stretchers down several flights of stairs.”
Pet Ambulance Services primarily transfer animals to and from the vet clinic to the emergency centres in Canberra, as well as picking up pets from people’s homes.
“We can also represent a client,” says Jarrod. “We can pick up their pet and go to the vet on their behalf to an appointment, and then return them.”
Jarrod and Claudia have even picked up animals from Wagga who need to come to Canberra for specialist hospitalisation and surgeries, as well as taking Canberra animals to Sydney for MRI scans.
Claudia says the job is incredibly rewarding, with the opportunity to meet and help families across Canberra and the surrounds.
“We do meet some beautiful souls,” she says. “We’ve met some lovely people that can’t get their animals to where they’re going, whether it be a large dog that somebody can’t lift, or a little cat that belongs to someone who can’t drive anymore, or they’re quite elderly and can’t drive themselves.”
Unfortunately, as is the nature of emergency medical situations, there isn’t always a happy ending to every story. However, Claudia and Jarrod provide support and assistance to families in the tragic event of losing a pet.
“We went around to a couple and their cat had passed on, but they weren’t sure and couldn’t deal with. So we went around and organised it to be picked up for cremation, wrapped up the cat and took it away. It just made it a little bit easier for them.”
When it comes to human ambulances, most of us are aware that they can come with quite a price tag, but this isn’t the case for Pet Ambulance Services, with a standard basic fee of just $132.
“People expect to be spending $1,000 when they step in our vehicle and that’s certainly not the case. We’re quite reasonable, we’re just happy to help out and be a part of the Canberra community. That’s why Jarrod started it, to make a difference in our local area” says Claudia.
Not every couple would be up to working together, but Claudia and Jarrod clearly adore spending time together.
“The days that I’m in the clinic, I miss him,” says Claudia. “You’re working with your best friend, there’s nothing like it. We bounce off each other, we’ve got the same sense of humour, we love working together.”
Jarrod says that summer is undoubtedly the busiest time for Pet Ambulance Services, with snake bites and heatstroke the cause of emergency callouts.
If your family needs assistance with their pet over the holiday period (or any time of year for that matter), you can contact Jarrod and Claudia on 0448 789 039, 0417 486 788 or find more information via their website or by emailing petambulanceservices@iinet.net.au.
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