Maddy’s moments that matter with Teddy and Sultan

This year’s Loneliness Awareness Week (August 4–10) centres on the theme #MomentsMatter, celebrating the real, meaningful moments that help young people feel connected, whether at home, work, school, online or in the community.

For 24-year-old Sydney local Maddy Willsher, those moments often come from the joyful connections she shares with her two beloved pets: Sultan, a quirky and affectionate Bengal cat she’s had since childhood, and Teddy, a rescue German Shorthaired Pointer whose companionship has transformed her daily life.

During a challenging period in her life, marked by her parents moving interstate and a painful injury that forced her to stop nearly all her activities and take time off work, Maddi began to feel increasingly isolated. But through the moments that mattered with her four-legged companions, she found strength, healing and joy that helped carry her through.

This is Maddy’s story.

“Sultan (Bengal cat) came into my life when I was 12 years old, not by chance but after months of begging my parents for a cat. As I’m sure every child who wants a pet does, I wrote a letter to my parents stating my case and ensuring I would be responsible for the cat. One day they finally caved, and the rest is history!

At 12 years old I did not envision the amount of comfort and a reassurance such a small animal would have on my life. Sultan is just about to turn 12 years old, and he is the light of my life, the funniest cat I know (not biased at all I promise!) whose comedic timing needs to be studied.

He is a very strange boy who has A LOT of attitude. As soon as I return home and he hears my voice, he makes himself known and will meow until he is picked up and given a treat. He is an extremely loving and cuddly boy, constantly readjusting himself to get as close as he can to me.

He is also very much a boy of routine; each morning while I’m getting ready, he will sit on the balcony watching the birds and soaking up the sun. Every night, without fail, he will have his ‘mad ½ hour’ where he runs around the house, chasing the ribbon toys, scratching his post, jumping on the bed, shower, sink and ankles!

Teddy (German Shorthaired Pointer dog) I rescued in 2021 from a pound in Canberra. My childhood dog, Arty (also a GSP), passed the previous year and I deeply struggled with not having a dog in my life, having grown up with one since I was 5 years old.

I was part of a GSP rescue Queensland Facebook page and we had originally applied to rescue a different dog through them; however this adoption fell through, but the universe had other plans. A few days later we learned about an 18-month-old boy who was up for adoption in a pound in Canberra. Three days later I travelled down to Canberra to rescue my boy!

Teddy is 5 years old now and he is my greatest joy. He was quite a troubled boy when I first rescued him – scared of so many things, people and dogs. Now he is a well-known boy at all the local cafes (puppuccino please!), has a couple dog friends and curious about everything no matter how scared he is, he will face it. He is the thing I am most proud of in my life.

Teddy has more personality and attitude than any other dog I have met, constantly talking to me. As soon as I’m home, taking too long to go on a walk or get dinner, he gives me a “woo woo woo”! He howls along to all the emergency sirens, the fire truck being his favourite.

I love seeing the world through his eyes, he forces me to get out of the house, slow down, and just focus on being in the moment.

I feel blessed I get to do this every day with Teddy, and it still brings me the greatest joy seeing his face and feeling the unconditional love he has for me!

How Sultan and Teddy eased the loneliness

The last six months have been particularly difficult for me. My parents moved interstate and then I injured myself, forcing me to stop almost all activities and have time off work. I was beginning to feel a bit isolated, alone and difficult to do most things myself without help.

While I was off work, I went to the beach everyday with Teddy and we would just sit together watching the world go by. It is one of my favourite things to go on a dog walk and just watch the world through his eyes. It sounds incredibly cliché; however it just makes all my problems feel so small or even disappear.

Whenever I am feeling sad, it is like my boys can sense it. Teddy will sit right on top of me (all 30kg!) and lick my tears away, then will bring me his toy or he’ll just get the crazies and make me laugh. Whereas Sultan just sits with me and purrs. These small actions allow me to get out of my head, focus on them and without fail will make me laugh and feel better every single time.

Teddy and Sultan bring me joy daily. I love coming home to them, hearing Teddy’s tail hitting the wall at the front door, being greeted every day with “woo woo”, hearing their paw stomps walking round the house, and Sultan constantly crying until I pick him up.

Even after a challenging day at work, there is nothing that makes me feel better than going for a walk/run with Ted! Whenever I am away from home, I look forward to seeing them again knowing the unconditional love that I receive from them!

Teddy and Sultan bring joy to others, too

One of my favourite things to see while walking Ted is watching the joy he brings others. The simple act of seeing him gives them a smile as they continue with their day. So not only is he bringing joy into my life, but to strangers as well.

I have had countless conversations with strangers about Teddy or dogs in general. At least once a week someone will come up to us and tell me about their GSP.

The same goes for Sultan; although he does not go out, sharing his pictures and personality quirks brings endless joy to everyone.

Over the last four years Teddy has taught me so much. While training him, he taught me patience, that not everything has to be perfect, and nothing always goes to plan. He is still nervous around dogs and people, so this has also forced me to advocate for him and speak up for him.

Prior to Teddy I was very much a person who would let people cross boundaries; however, Teddy has given me the confidence to advocate for him and myself, protecting ourselves first rather than other people’s feelings.

I also discovered my love for running because of Teddy! What began as a means to get his energy out, turned into training for a 50km run with him. We have run places and distances together I never imagined I could have. He is the best running buddy I could ask for, keeping me company for 3-to-4 hour long runs that I never would do without him. He is also a well-loved member of my running club!

Fostering or adoption a pet may be the best decision you'll ever make

To anyone considering adopting or fostering a pet I would say do it! Do your research, know what you’re getting yourself into and plan. Your life might look a little different to before – you have a little creature to come home to.

You might not be able to go out as much; however, these little animals will bring more joy to your life than you could have ever imagined, and you will never ever regret spending too much time with your pet.

Even on your worst days when you feel alone, they are there for you. They might not be able to say anything, but the comfort of just having them there is unmatched. I know there is a day where I won’t have my boys by my side anymore, so I want to spend as much time as I can with them. They truly are my greatest joy.”