Hospice of the Valley has a wide variety of dogs, cats, rabbits and miniature horses bringing pet therapy to its clients as part of their program “Pet Connections.” In the program, the pets visit patients in residential homes, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, and the therapy teams visit with patients for one to two hours per week.
Lin Sue Flood, Hospice of the Valley Director of Community Engagement, and Ed Gesten, Pet Connections Volunteer, joined “Arizona Horizon” along with a therapy dog named Huck to share more about these pet therapy teams.
The program was started 20 years ago when a medical director at Hospice of the Valley brought their personal golden labarador to visit a patient. When the patient saw the dog and started to play with him, their blood pressure dropped and their serotonin levels rose instantly.
The animals themselves come from volunteers who are willing to use their pet as a therapy animal, and an example is Ed Gesten’s dog, Huck. Huck had to go through many different interviews from different organizations, and the program is not looking for tricks and fun; they are looking for calm and well-behaved animals.
“It was his eyes that sold them,” Gesten said when explaining the interview process. “He has had so many great relationships that he has built and continues to go on. It’s changed my life; he’s changed my life.”
The program is able to take requests, whether that be for the size of the animal or the type. When requested, Flood brings in her own dog, and just like Huck, the experience is “magical.”
“Dogs don’t care what you feel like or you smell like,” Flood said when talking about the magic of therapy dogs. “They just want to make you happy. And they do because every moment of their life is the best moment ever.”
Not only does this program help the patients, but it helps the staff and family members who are also going through tough times. Flood explained the families often stay by the bedside to experience the joy that the animals bring them.
“I look at people that have very little joy for lots of different reasons,” Geston said when talking about the magic Huck brings. “He can make that connection, and you can see somebody’s light go on, and that’s special.”
