The Nathaniel Witherell Short-Term Rehab and Skilled Nursing Center at 70 Parsonage Road in Greenwich recently hosted the first of its quarterly “Pooches on Parade” programs for 2015; the next is scheduled for May.
One cat, Jackson, attended and was well received.
- A dog with a mission to cheer at the Nathaniel Witherell Short-Term Rehab and Skilled Nursing Center in Greenwich. Photo courtesy The Witherell
The benefits to health and outlook are quantifiable, according to Sally Van Leeuwen, Witherell”™s volunteer coordinator. “There have been many studies citing the benefits,” she said.
The event had been an annual mainstay at The Witherell, which can accommodate up to 202 clients, for decades, according to Van Leeuwen. But when she arrived about seven or eight years ago, she upped the ante to quarterly. “Once a year just wasn”™t enough,” she said.
Dogs do not disappear between the quarterly functions. Van Leeuwen said about six local dog owners stop by regularly, and family and staff also bring their dogs. “We”™re very pet-friendly,” she said.”
February”™s event attracted 14 four-legged friends that mingled with dozens of Witherell residents in the facility”™s auditorium. Van Leeuwen said the typical pet turnout is 12 to 16.
During the program, each owner told the crowd a little about their dogs. For the remainder of the hour, the pets and their owners “worked the room” and socialized with Witherell residents. Van Leeuwen noted many on hand had been pet owners and said, “The interaction brings a smile to their faces.”
Van Leeuwen refers to Pooches on Parade as the “formal part of pet therapy.”
She said, “The informal part is the individual dog and owner teams who come in and go around the building on their own, coming when it is convenient for them and working it into their own schedules. We have regular weekday as well as weekend pet therapy volunteers. They usually spend 30 to 60 minutes going around the building and interacting with any dog lovers they come across.”
Nice story Bill. Pets are great therapy….