OHIO — If you have a pet pooch with a calm, loving temperament, a northeast Ohio nonprofit needs your help.
Hospice of the Western Reserve is starting back up its therapy dog program after in-person visits were put on pause during the pandemic. Trained and certified dogs and their owners are needed to spend time with patients and families.
Health benefits from spending time with animals can include lower stress and decreased blood pressure and cholesterol, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But pet owners aren’t the only ones who can get a health boost from their four-legged friends.
Sadie is a volunteer who is bringing new meaning to the phrase “working like a dog.” She’s a small, white, fluffy dog who loves getting ready for work.
Once a week, she and her owner, Janet Pavlic, help comfort folks at the Hospice of the Western Reserve.
“You can just see it just relieves them of their pain and everything they have going on and takes them back to a happy time,” said Pavlic.
Pavlic and her husband, Don, adopted Sadie from the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter after she was hit by a car and brought there. Her husband was battling pancreatic cancer at the time.
“He wanted a manly dog and he goes, ‘I want that dog,’” Pavlic said. “And I’m like, ‘This is as far from a manly dog as they make.’”
But Sadie stayed by Don’s side until he passed away a few months later.
“So Sadie became my little angel,” Pavlic said. ‘“And so we stuck it out together, huh, kid?”
Now Sadie brings a small bright spot to others during a difficult time at hospice.
“We know what it’s like to be sitting by your loved one’s side,” Pavlic said. “Just hoping that they’re not in pain and giving them as much dignity as we can at that time of life.”
Right now, there are about a dozen dogs in the pet therapy program, but Sadie is the only lap dog.
The animals share a little puppy love with patients and smiles with the staff.
“Everyone’s mood is just a little bit better when they get to pet a nice, soft, sweet dog,” said Khannah Wetmore, a social worker at the inpatient facility.
It’s a small thing that can make a big difference, one tail wag at a time.
“I don’t volunteer because I give back; I volunteer because they make me feel so good,” Pavlic said. “It’s selfish. I love the way I feel knowing I can brighten their days.”
Dogs of all sizes can be therapy dogs, if they have the right temperament. For more information, contact the Hospice of the Western Reserve.
