At the beginning of each New Year, Bright Spot Therapy Dogs publishes its annual newsletter. This publication serves to highlight the meaningful work our Bright Spot Therapy Dog Teams have performed throughout the past year.
As I reflect on the events of last year, I can’t help thinking back to 2004 and the day I decided to quit my job and devote my time to expanding the work of Therapy Dogs throughout western Massachusetts. I didn’t have a plan. What I did have was a passion – and I have been following that passion ever since. Within that year, I had founded Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, Inc. and the work commenced.
Bright Spot was started with just one Therapy Dog team – me and my sweet, gentle English Setter Trudi. Together, Trudi and I set out to expand Therapy Dog visiting beyond nursing homes, starting first with Cooley Dickinson Hospital in our local community. Trudi sat at my side as we attended meeting after meeting for a two-year period until the hospital gave approval to start a visiting Therapy Dog Program with Trudi leading the way, first on the psychiatric floor and then a medical floor. After a three-month trial period, we were given the green light to add on one, then two more teams making weekly visits to patients. Soon after, Bright Spot Therapy Dogs were invited to visit the Fowler Unit at Noble Hospital in Westfield, Massachusetts. As word spread, more doors opened to our Bright Spot dogs.
Now in our 9th year, we have certified over 125 Therapy Dogs Teams and have requests from over 80 facilities – both healthcare and educational. Although our immediate service area is western Massachusetts, we have Bright Spot certified Therapy Dogs from Maine to Florida. It never fails to amaze me how much our dedicated Bright Spot Therapy Dog Teams have done to bring comfort and caring to those in need.
It is with the greatest of pleasure that I sit at my laptop each January and write about the year in review. If you are not already on our mailing list and would like to receive a copy of our newsletter, email me at: bright-spot@comcast.net and I will add your name to our mailing list and send a copy out to you.