There are some visitors who can brighten a room without saying a single word.
At St Christopher’s Hospice, three four-legged volunteers are doing exactly that. Wilson, Asta and Rusty are therapy dogs who spend time with patients, families and staff, bringing companionship, comfort and a little happiness when it can be needed most.
The trio visit as part of Pets As Therapy, a national charity whose volunteers take temperament-assessed dogs and cats into hospitals, hospices, care homes and other settings across the UK.
A Special Kind of Visitor
A visit from a dog might sound like a small thing, but sometimes the smallest moments can make an enormous difference.
For patients staying at the hospice, spending time with Wilson, Asta or Rusty can provide a welcome change from the routines of treatment and care. A stroke of a furry head, a wagging tail or simply having a dog quietly sitting alongside them can offer companionship and a moment of normality.
Their visits can also bring back memories of much-loved pets and start conversations between patients, relatives and staff.
And the benefits aren’t limited to patients.
Families visiting somebody they love are often going through an incredibly difficult time themselves, while hospice staff work in an environment that can be emotionally demanding. A friendly dog wandering in can provide a moment of warmth for everyone in the room.
Wilson, Asta and Rusty
Each of St Christopher’s canine visitors has their own personality, but they share one particularly important quality: they enjoy being around people.
Wilson, Asta and Rusty visit with their volunteer handlers and have been assessed through Pets As Therapy to make sure they’re suited to the role.
There are no complicated instructions for what happens next.
Sometimes a patient wants to stroke them. Sometimes somebody wants to talk about a dog they once owned. Sometimes the dogs simply provide some quiet company.
Whatever the interaction, their job is essentially to be themselves.
More Than Just a Wagging Tail
Pets As Therapy has been arranging therapeutic animal visits in the UK since 1983, with volunteers and their pets visiting people who may benefit from the companionship that an animal can provide.
At a hospice, where conversations and emotions can understandably become difficult, animals have one considerable advantage: they don’t expect anything from you.
They don’t need the right words.
They don’t care whether you’re having a good day or a bad one.
They’re simply pleased to see you.
A Little Happiness When It Matters Most
Hospice care deals with some of life’s most difficult moments, which makes the happiness Wilson, Asta and Rusty bring particularly valuable.
They can’t change why somebody is there, and they can’t make the difficult circumstances disappear.
But they can make one moment of the day a little brighter.
And sometimes a wagging tail, a wet nose and a few minutes with a new four-legged friend are more than enough to do exactly that.
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