Volunteering with your Pet: What to Expect

Posted by TeamCharlie on July 11, 2008 under Wags for Hope | Be the First to Comment

Since Wags for Hope is conducting an orientation this weekend, I thought it appropriate to paint a picture of what it is like to volunteer with your pet.  Any and all sizes of pets are popular – some like the smaller ones, others prefer the larger ones.  Cats are extremely desirable because there are relatively so few that participate in therapy programs.  My guess is that it is not necessarily their nature that prevents them, but their lack of interest in the ride over to the nursing home. 

When I first took Charlie to a nursing home he was 4 months old, so he was not yet fully grown.  He was a much smaller version of himself at the time, so he intimidated noone.  The first time I volunteered with Charlie I almost didn’t go back.  We started at dinner time which was a big mistake.  As you could imagine, food is king in the nursing homes as it is a very much desired diversion from the day’s (lack of) activities.  People did not seem to be interested in us, so I wondered if I was doing any good at all.  The volunteer coordinator suggested I try again at a slightly later time.  Two weeks later I did just that.  We were invited into one particular room.  Two sisters (I will call them Laura and Jane) had been staying in the same room for many years.  They were both unable to move on their own.  They were relatively young.  Jane could only communicate by raising her eyebrows to indicate “yes” – a lack of eye movement meant “no”.  I brought Charlie in due to their mom’s coaxing.  I led him in closer to the bed and before I knew it his two paws were on the railing of Jane’s bed!!  Charlie NEVER jumps up.  But in this case he wanted to get a closer look.  The look on Jane’s face remains forever emblazened in my thoughts.  Her smile went from ear to ear and she laughed out loud.  She LOVED it.  It was that very moment that ensured I would continue this activity.

That night we got many smiles from people.  I was so impressed that they were all so polite and gracious – thanking us for coming and hoping we would be back.  As we got back to the car I put Charlie in the back seat, petted him on the head and said, “You’re a good boy, Charlie!”  I would never have imagined that this activity would strengthen the deep bond that we already had between us, but it surely does.