Therapy Dog Brings Joy to Nursing Home
April 2, 2020
Residents at Harbor Village Health and Rehabilitation Center in New London waited eagerly at their windows, some with their cameras at the ready. One resident held a hand-written note that read, “Duke: Harbor Village Rockstar”.
Duke, the center of the fanfare, is a 120 pound English Mastiff, but the residents at Harbor Village know him to be a gentle giant. Duke is a therapy dog and has visited the nursing home more than 250 times in the last two years alone.
“Duke is everything to them,” said Jill Jeznach, the facility’s recreation director. “He has a little cheering squad in the lobby that waits for him on days they know he is coming.”
The wait is now indefinite. COVID-19 restrictions on Connecticut nursing homes have kept Duke away for several weeks, leaving both Duke and the residents longing for each other.
“When Duke doesn’t go, he mopes, he won’t eat,” explained his handler, Elizabeth “Tiger” Maynard-White.”
Maynard-White also knew how difficult it was for the residents right now, who are not allowed any in-person visits.
“When they have already lost so much and to take away one more thing that is special to them, you don’t know what it can do to a person,” said Maynard-White.
That is when she had the idea of doing window visits. Now, Duke will walk around the building three days a week and visit windows. Maynard-White made signs that read, “Duke, come to my window,” so the pair knows which windows to visit.
The residents have been loving the visits so far. They even decorated their windows with paint for Duke.
“It is very depressing and very scary at this point in time, but we are good here. Duke is always a bright spot and helps take those thoughts away and makes you concentrate on something else,” said Michele Doran, a resident at the facility.
Thurston Delaney agrees. Delaney is the resident who made the sign about Duke being a rockstar.
“We are going through a really hard time right now and it is just something to look forward to, seeing him,” said Delaney. “Like I said, he is a true rockstar.”
Maynard-White said that Duke feels what people are feeling and can take the burden off others. She stressed that seeing Duke through a window is not the same as seeing him in person, but, right now, even a slice of normal is enough.
“Even if you can just touch a hand to a window, you are telling them you love them,” said Maynard-White.
Most Recent News
Former Victoria man’s diabetic alert dog helps him get back to life
When Luke Hengen’s diabetes worsened in his early twenties, it stripped him of the outdoor activities where the country kid felt at home. Countless wilderness adventures and years of hard-fought football games took a toll on his body, to the point where he could no longer sense when his blood sugar was too high or […]
Students Get Therapy Dog
When middle school students return to class on Jan. 11, they’ll find a new face at the door: Daisy. Daisy is a therapy dog and the personal pet of Rob Kreger, principal of the Rock L. Butler Middle School. The five-year-old golden retriever is not a school pet or mascot, but rather a working dog […]
Therapy Dogtor
Last March, Caroline Benzel, a third-year medical student, began to notice the stress and discomfort her nurse friends were feeling from the pressures of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. “[Personal protective equipment] can be really rough on the skin,” Benzel, 31, tells PEOPLE. Benzel and her 3-year-old Rottweiler, Loki (who’s also a therapy dog) hatched a […]
Therapy Dog Pups
When Stanley the miniature fox terrier’s owner passed away, the little dog started a ‘paw-some’ new role – bringing puppy love to some of the Gold Coast’s oldest residents. After Carinity Cedarbrook Diversional Therapist Julianne Staff adopted Stanley, he began visiting the aged care community at Mudgeeraba as a therapy dog. Therapy dogs help to […]
Puppy Cams
A nonprofit is providing an unusual form of therapy for those on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic – puppy cams! “You spend five minutes with a puppy and try not to smile,” said registered nurse Robin Lingg Lagrone. Lingg Lagrone says watching little furballs wag their tails and prance on their paws helps […]
Pet Committee
When Moore County’s school doors were abruptly closed earlier in 2020, two- and four-legged volunteers from the Moore County Citizens’ Pet Responsibility Committee (PRC) were in their 12th year of presenting a six-session Pet Responsibility Education Program for fourth-graders. The PRC quickly shifted gears and placed its program materials online as part of a home […]