Stories

I fell in love with Killer Foo Foo, and we became a Pet Partners therapy team together. He not only served as a “facility dog” of sorts at the senior center where I work, but every single person there was obsessed with him. He participated in all kinds of special events, did hospice visits, nursing home visits, and started doing virtual group visits dubbed, “Zooming with Foo Foo and Friends” for the seniors I worked since the start of the pandemic.

When Neka walked into the room, she just naturally would go around to each member, rest her head on their knee, wait until they pet her, then would move on to the next person. She would then settle down and rest on her mat and at the end of the session would repeat making the rounds with everyone. This was not a trained behavior. Neka from day one had a calling to do this type of work at the CRRC and it was amazing just to be a part of it with her.

I’ve seen the impact India has had with patients and staff in the hospital. Faces light up when she enters a room, staff express how a tough day is lightened after engaging with India. Recently this impact hit home in several sweet moments.

I had always had a dream to train and have a therapy dog to volunteer with, so finding Max was a dream come true!

Cookie and Moo were adopted from the New Jersey Guinea Pig Rescue in July 2020. Elizabeth jokes, “Most of the world got a pandemic puppy—we got four guinea pigs!” Two of the guinea pigs proved to be too shy for therapy work, but Cookie and Moo showed their aptitude early on. Cookie was always happy to sniff a hand or take a treat. Moo was very calm and loved being brushed, which was helpful since his hair is over 8 inches long.

During this long COVID period, we continued to work on her skills and keep up on everything she needed to respond to during her reevaluation. She loved to work on her skills and keep them fresh in her mind. She continued to respond with her skills until just a few days before she passed away.

The impact that Ella has had was brought home to me clearly when one of the inmates we visited said, as he was petting her, “I haven’t petted a dog in 23 years.” I later learned that he had been very withdrawn, but every time Ella and the other dogs came to visit, he always asked to be included.

Puntino always knew what to do when sitting on a veteran’s lap or lying in bed with them. He brought joy, comfort, and lots of smiles. Often, the veteran just needed a furry friend to hug.

We brought miles of smiles to everyone we met. I love when people say, “I’ve never seen a real rabbit before” and that we can show them one up close and personal. When people would pet her, it was almost always, “Oh my, she is soooo soft.”