Every time I work with the dogs, there are moments that make me more grateful than ever for what they can do. Recently, Stanley and Henry had interactions that were bittersweet but exemplified the magic of therapy animals.
Henry and I were visiting an adult neuropsych unit at UCLA. Things always turn more positive as the dogs walk in, but lately, with the world as challenging at it is, I’ve felt more of a heaviness in the mood. Still, the dogs seem to be able to reach even patients with severe issues.
I was sitting on the floor chatting with a group of young adults. Henry was lying calmly in the middle as they petted and brushed him. Suddenly, an attractive woman in our circle got extremely agitated. She began crying and yelling for her anxiety meds.
That immediately got Henry’s attention. I could almost see the concern on his face. He began inching towards her and put his head on her knee. Then he gently crawled into her lap. I was concerned because of his size, but she assured me it was fine. Before I knew it she was hugging Henry and had stopped crying.
At Tarzana Hospital, a nurse asked me to bring Stanley in to see a medical patient who was suicidal but who loved animals. She hoped the dog would help. I walked into the room and was greeted by a full-time aide sitting on a chair by the door.
The patient was in tears and really didn’t seem to want a visit. Stanley slowly approached and softly leaned against her. She tentatively reached for him. A few minutes later as she hugged him, he licked her face. She immediately stopped crying. I told her he rarely does that, but she said she loved it. I think he sensed her need.
That led to a conversation about her pets and her love of animals. I could tell that the aide was touched. Just as Henry had done when he put his head in the patient’s lap, Stanley was offering quiet comfort.
After I began writing this, Henry had another tender moment. At the request of staff, we went to see a woman who recently had her leg amputated below the knee. The nurse had noticed that the woman watched Animal Planet almost non-stop so thought the dog would be a welcome surprise.
It was an elderly, somewhat disheveled woman, with a heavy accent sitting on the side of her bed. Her face lit up when she saw Henry. She asked me to bring him closer and closer. She wanted to give him a kiss.
I was nervous because of the plastic device where she’d had surgery but I needn’t have worried. Henry was truly a gentle giant. After she kissed his head, he looked at her with such sweetness in his eyes. The dogs speak volumes without saying a word.
