WITH their bright hair and bubbly personalities, young sisters Ruby and Emma captivate everyone around them – including two very well-behaved German Shepherd dogs.
For the past few years, the sister’s parents -Justin and Sheree Kaulfuss – have helped out the German Shepherd Dog Club of Victoria (GSDCV) with an annual fundraising event.
Since1984, the western suburbs branch of the dog club – which meets in Keilor every Sunday – has collected funds for the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Good Friday Appeal.
Five-year-old Emma and Ruby, aged two-and-a-half, are both presently in good health.
However in October last year, Ruby was a RCH patient for six weeks after she was diagnosed with a combination of meningitis and encephalitis.
Ruby could not eat for 12 days and had to be fed through an IV, after a virus entered her blood stream, causing her brain and spinal cord to become inflamed.
“The worst point was when we were in the hospital and she went through ICU (Intensive Care Unit) for about five days,” Mr Kaulfuss said.
“She was that bad, at one stage she mightn’t have been here.
“Not many cases come out the way she did – we were very lucky.”
He said the hospital provided physiotherapists, speech pathologists and a lady to play music to Ruby as part of her rehabilitation.
“I cannot commend the whole hospital enough,” Mr Kaulfuss said.
Keilor GSDCV member Bernie Lester said club branches from across the state hope to collect more than $50,000 for this year’s RCH appeal.
“To try and reach our target we will be collecting on Thursday before Good Friday from 2.30pm onwards on the Western Ring Rd off-ramp at Ballarat Rd, Deer Park, also Station and Ballarat Rds Deer Park,” he said.
On Good Friday club members will be collecting at intersections in Keilor, Sunshine, Deer Park, Footscray and Newmarket.
