Therapy Dog Brings Joy To Williamstown Commons
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Maggie makes visits to the nursing home and rehabiliation center on Tuesdays. Therapy dogs have to go through a certification process and have been shown to have positive effects on patients. Left, Maggie sports a Therapy Dog International kerchief. |
iBerkshires tagged along when Maggie visited residents on June 5.
A 98-pound Bernese Mountain dog, Maggie is too big to cuddle in the lap, but her size makes it easy for residents to pet her.
"They don't have to bend down. She is wheelchair height," said Janice Paquette, activity director of Williamstown Commons.
Therapy dogs have been found to have a positive effect on the physical and mental well-being of hospital patients, nursing home residents, ailing children and others in stressful circumstances. While other animals are used for therapeutic visits, such as miniature horses, even-tempered affectionate dogs remain the most popular.
Anticipating Maggie's visit, some residents had rolled their wheelchairs from their rooms into the hall to await her arrival. And as Maggie came into sight, sporting a red bandana around her neck, resident Ruth Seward called out, "Come see me, Maggie."
A moment later, Seward ran a loving hand over Maggie's fur, as she told her how beautiful she is. Then she asked Maggie for her paw.
"Having Maggie is like being home," said Seward. "I was in bed when she came last Tuesday, and she got up and sat next to me."
Lisa O'Brien, Maggie's owner and handler, always has her on a leash when she is working.
"When I place her Therapy Dogs International red bandana around her neck, she seems to know she's going to work. She becomes excited to get into the car and begin the drive to Williamstown Commons," said O'Brien.
In one room, a resident's dinner sitting on a tray offered a temptation, but Maggie is well trained.
"Leave it," O'Brien told Maggie. Though she obeyed, O'Brien acknowledged, "She would eat it all if she could."
Continuing her rounds, Maggie padded into the room Connie Sinclitico shares with another resident. When asked about pets, in general, Sinclitico replied. "I don't have any pets at home, but there are four dogs in the family."
The dogs, a golden retriever, a beagle and two shih-tzus belong to her three daughters. "The shih-tzus are cute," Sinclitico said, "but one barks a lot and is too feisty."
Maggie, on the other hand, is a patient, gentle giant who evidently has won a place in Sinclitico's heart. "I love my dog," she said, petting the therapy dog.
In resident David Mariani's room, several photos of dogs are tacked to a board on the wall. Gesturing to a photo of a boy holding a pup, Marino said, "That's me when I was 5, with my first dog. We always had a dog when I was growing up."
Now, he wants to "get to be friends with Maggie. She's very loyal to her owner," he said. "I don't think I'll ever get to be like that but I'm going to try to be her friend."
Mariani said he is going to ask O'Brien what treats Maggie likes so he can arrange to have some on hand.
Louise Ralys is slight, but evidently is not bothered by Maggie's large size. As Maggie walked down the hall to where Ralys was sitting in her wheelchair, Ralys reached out to pet her. "Maggie is pretty," she said, adding that she always had a dog at home.
Rose Carsten was in her wheelchair watching TV in her room when Maggie came in, tail wagging. Yet, Carsten gave her undivided attention to her canine visitor, petting her and telling her how beautiful she is.
Reminiscing about the pets in her life in earlier years, Carsten told of always having a dog at home, after she married.
"First I had a collie and then an Irish setter. I had to have the collie put down when it was 18. I called my boss and told him I wouldn't be coming in to work and he said, 'It's only a dog!'" Carsten recalled, chiding her boss, "Only a dog? I love it. It's part of the family."
As for the special dog in her life now, Carsten said, "I love Maggie. She cheers me up."
.jpg) A visit from Maggie prompts fond memories of past pets. |
"After experiencing the loss of my 20-year-old son Michael in 2009, my family decided to get a dog knowing it could provide a positive outlet for us," said O'Brien. "Maggie has been a wonderful source of happiness for us, and it prompted me to share her with others who might be experiencing sadness, pain, or loneliness so we began our training to become a therapy dog team."
First, Maggie had to become certified as a Canine Good Citizen through the American Kennel Club. O'Brien, a registered nurse, was already comfortable in a health-care setting, but she and Maggie, as a dog and handler team, took classes to acclimate Maggie to hospitals and skilled nursing facilities with large groups of unfamiliar people, medical equipment — wheelchairs, walkers and IV poles — and loud noises, such as beeping monitors.
After meeting certain criteria, including training, evaluation and tests, Maggie became certified as a therapy dog this past January through Therapy Dogs International, which is headquartered in New Jersey. In April, she visited residents at Williamstown Commons for the first time.
"She seems to provide comfort to [the residents], evidenced by the endearing way they talk to her and by the way they pet her. Some family members have told me pointedly their loved ones truly look forward to our weekly visits," said O'Brien. "For me, that is enough reason to share Maggie with others as a therapy dog."
Tags: dogs, domestic animals, nursing home, therapy dogs,
