Cowboy and his handler Linda recently completed their training and evaluation to become a certified Bright Spot Therapy Dog Team. Linda has an interest in hospice work and felt all along that Cowboy would be perfect visiting with hospice patients. Once the Team was Bright Spot certified, Linda enrolled in the required hospice training course. It’s been a long haul for the pair, but all their hard work has paid off.
Linda wrote in to tell me that Cowboy had his first formal hospice visit today. The Team was introduced to their patient, a woman with dementia who was delighted to see both human and canine. Due to her memory challenges, the woman drifted off and on, but each time she realized that Cowboy was there, she smiled. While visiting on the Alzheimer’s Unit, Cowboy charmed everyone there with his characteristic Corgi smile and outgoing, friendly personality. Everyone there, both patients and staff, wanted to pet Cowboy and say Hi. One patient’s daughter was there watching as her mother beamed at Cowboy. The daughter said it was the best afternoon her mother had had in a couple of years. Linda and Cowboy stayed visiting way beyond their anticipated departure time. Cowboy made many friends on his first visit. He’s off to a great start.
I am always happy to learn that one of our Bright Spot Teams is opting to do hospice work. Dogs can bring so much comfort and relief from pain to these folks in the final months and days of their lives. It takes a special person, and a special dog to do this type of visiting. You know going into it that the patient will die. My boy James and I did hospice work for 2 1/2 years. It was very moving to watch James and his patient interact. In my 22 years of working with Therapy Dogs in a wide variety of settings, I have to say that my hospice visits with James were among the most meaningful. I know Cowboy will bring comfort and caring to many folks in their final days.