A Wish Fulfilled By a Hospice Volunteer

Dottie, Joyce, Don & Sasha

This month's story comes from one of our hospice partners in the midsouth, Hospice of North Central Oklahoma. Melanie Wright, Director of Volunteers and Outreach is our Pet Peace of Mind Coordinator. She tells the story of a patient and caregiver with an unusual volunteer request--for their dog!  Melanie tells the story:

"Joyce and Don have always loved dogs and at one time were very involved in the local dog training club. When Joyce had to move away from home into a nursing care facility, one of the hardest adjustments for her was moving away from their dog, Sasha. Don spends a lot of time with Joyce and frequently brings Sasha to visit. I thought it would be nice for Joyce to have pictures of her with Don and Sasha, so I scheduled a photo shoot. When two of our volunteers, Zac and T. L., went to the nursing home to take photos, Don told them that they hadn't been able to take Sasha through dog obedience classes after they rescued her. Being able to take Sasha through the classes was important to Don and Joyce, but neither of them were physically able to do all the walking necessary for the training. Zac and T. L. went to work on this and made arrangements with the dog training club to waive the registration fee. Now Dottie, another one of our PPOM volunteers, is taking Sasha through the classes. Don goes to all the classes to watch Dottie and Sasha and he was even able to take Joyce to the last class. With the help of our volunteers, we created the perfect partnership between the K9 Dog Training Club, the Pet Peace of Mind program and our Hospice of North Central Oklahoma volunteers."

When I train new hospice coordinators, one thing I emphasize is that Pet Peace of Mind is about being an extension of the patient's love and care of their pet. The point is not to take over the pet's care, but to work alongside them to help them do what they would normally do if they could. What a perfect example of taking that principle to heart!