Reuniting pets with patients

[Catherine]

This is really beautiful.  The program is called Zachary's Paws for Healing. It is named after Zachary who died  in hospital. It was arranged that his beloved pet could spend time with him. He was comforted and it improved his condition.  It couldn't stop his death, but it helped him be at peace. 
Before he died he asked his aunt to promise to help others spend time with their pets.

It is proving to be a wonderful idea. People are comforted. They improve and sometimes get well.
Just having your pet with you when you are sick can make all the difference.


http://womanista.com/2015/11/29/remarkab...th-long-t/

I would want a pet to spend time with me if I was sick.  For and older person who has lost most of their friends, a pet may  be the only caring being left in their lives.  When they are sick is when they need them most.

I am glad to hear that sometimes that need is met.  I hope the program spreads everywhere that there are pets and people who need to be reunited.

[cathie]

This is a wonderful idea, I don't see why it couldn't be done in all long-term care facilities.

[Catherine]

I do know of a family that brought the dog to the nursing home to visit his owner and when she was dying they brought the dog and he lay on the bed and she had her hand on him when she died. I think it was a comfort for both of them.  Even though he lost her, the dog knew that his beloved person was gone. He could grieve it as a loss instead of feeling that she had abandoned him.  His presence brought the lady peace and made the end easier for her.

I wish many more places would try things like that.

[Tobi]

What a lovely organisation. Yes it can be very important, not only for the human, but also for the animal, not to have to sever contact just because the human is in hospital.

I was allowed to bring our dog in to visit my husband during his last days in a cottage hospital near where I live. Of course -that wasn't allowed in the big hospitals he had been in previously. But I had him moved towards the end to a much gentler place.

I was allowed to take Misty in to visit my mother in the hospice, where she stayed for a few weeks. It did cheer her up. She had bad dementia but was often fairly lucid when Misty was around. The other patients liked Misty too, and she brought a ray of normality and 'sunshine' with her.
She would trot along the corridor, and some of those end-stage cancer patients, or very old people would grin and wave at us. They loved to see her there.

[Catherine]

Seeing any animal makes you feel better when you are in the hospital. Seeing your own pet would just be so much more.

I am glad you could take your dog to see your husband. I  am sure they both were comforted.

Misty would have been good for anyone. I can see how her visit would make your mother feel better. I wish all places had therapy pets. I wish I could have a pet at work.  When will we wake up and realize how much pets benefit us.

I am glad that there are places that do allow pets and organizations that work to get them there.

[Tobi]

Well, I have to mention something about when I took our dog to visit my husband. He was very glad to see Toby, but I always noticed that Toby was never quite 'himself' after a visit. He seemed a little bit 'down'. I would always take him for a walk afterwards, but it took him some time to shake it off. I think he understood and sensed what was happening and found it difficult.

I have heard that a therapy pet, or one who visits the sick in hospices etc...has to be born not made. Some dogs just find it all too much, and are sensitive. But some are very happy to do that work.

It never seemed to upset Misty when we visited the hospice. That might have been different of course if she had been visiting a very close family member -like myself or someone she lived with every day.

Even from the animals' point of view it is a complex issue and can be very emotional.

[Catherine]

No doubt Toby was aware of how sick your husband was. He had a little grieving to do after each visit.  I think it was probably still good for him to visit. Maybe he felt sad because he couldn't fix things and because you had to leave your husband behind.

Some dogs are born to be therapy dogs. They spend time training them and not all pass the course. Those that do seem to know what they are doing. It is a special calling like nursing.

Having your own pet visit is different. It is a personal comfort for both.

Misty was exceptional in so many ways. She would have been glad to help people in the Hospice, but mainly because she was such a caring dog.

I wonder what therapy dogs do to cope with their job stress?

[Tobi]

There is nothing like a return to their normality, and a jolly good run in a field, chasing a frisbee to help a dog de-stress. But I think they basically do have to love what they do. Any dog who doesn't, or suffers uneasiness, would not be chosen as a Therapy Dog.

Misty seemed to be in her own space at the hospice. She was always just doing her own thing. I don't think she was especially 'caring' of those people, but was happy to be wherever I was, and was relaxed. The impact that she had however -I don't think she knew about.
I would always take her round the back of the grounds every so often, to do her own thing and to play with 'dog-sticks'

She was a greedy girlie, and one of her favourite venues there was the restaurant area! I had to tie her up at the entrance, while I got a coffee because dogs were not allowed in there. But she looked at those 'dinner ladies' with the most hypnotic stare! LOL! Once, she got a free sausage!

[Catherine]

I could picture the look that got Misty a free sausage. Some of us can't resist the look.

Many dogs are good around patients and hospices, but it does take a special dog to be a therapy dog. It is not just the training. It is like the guide dogs for blind people. They want to be the eyes for that person. They understand their responsibility and they are happy to take it on. Not all dogs in training make it. There are wonderful dogs that flunk out. They just can't do it. The ones that pass choose to dedicate their lives to helping one person or many people depending on what they are trained for.

It is different when they bring your own pet to the hospital.  I think that can help at a much deeper level if you have that kind of bond with the pet.

[Ruth]

I wrote a program in college to unite older people with a pet. I never got to do the program but got a good grade any way.