Pet Therapy Dog
Bodhi of the Rockies
The first “on the job training” went very well, as I knew it would. We saw more staff the first day than patients!
Learning the Rules
The dog therapy program is very well organized. We had some rules to go over (“foam in, foam out” hand washing, uniform, etc). Patient privacy is of highest concern.
A few rules were a surprise though… we’re not allowed to ask people how they are doing. They’re in the hospital – they are probably not doing well. But it’s easy to keep the focus on the dog – everyone wants to talk about dogs!
As we went through paperwork outside Volunteer Services, many people stopped to pet Bodhi. His tail thumped on the ground when he saw someone coming down hall. Is there any sound better than a tail wagging?
Our First Patient
A woman in lobby really loved seeing Bohdi and asked us to visit her brother upstairs, so he was our first patient. I couldn’t go in his room because he was at risk of infection, so she took Bodhi in. Bodhi was fine with that. From the hall, I watched his tail wag and the brother smiling. The sister was very appreciative and she took pictures, as many people do.
I was telling people that Bodhi was doing “on the job training” and they were very impressed with his calm demeanor. Not every dog has the right temperament for work like this. But Bodhi does.
Second Patient – A Special Request
Patients or their families can fill out a request for pet visitations. We had a request to visit a patient in ICU. Normally therapy dogs do not go into ICU but this was a special patient and a big dog lover.
Since I was new, I wasn’t event thinking about what shape patient might be in. I wasn’t prepared when we walked in and I saw a patient who had encountered some sort of trauma and had many bruises. The nurse took the patient’s hand and put it on Bodhi’s head to pet.
My trainer was crying and lots of nurses were watching. We stayed in there a few minutes and then went in the hall to see the ICU nurses. Since therapy dogs usually don’t go into the ICU, they loved having Bodhi there and took many photos, and were very happy that the patient got to pet him. However small that might be, I think it helps the patient heal. And helps relieve some stress for the nurses.
Bodhi wanted to go back in the room and then went over to the mom to give her some loving and support. She needed it.
That visit really hit me emotionally. I don’t know what happened to the patient, I assumed an auto accident, but it really made me grateful for my life and good health.
The Rest of the Day
The third patient lost his dog a while ago and was happy to pet another dog. Bodhi was a little hesitant to go near him in bed. He got far more interaction with staff though. Every few feet a nurse or staff member would stop to pet Bodhi. They really loved him and Bodhi’s tail never stopped wagging. And they all commented on how handsome he is.
We were there for about an hour. It can be exhausting for the dog so the visits aren’t too long. Bodhi seems to really love it though and we were approved into the program. He really works magic.