Therapy dogs visit hospice patients
Patients and staff at Nightingale House welcomed some special visitors this week.
Therapy dogs were invited to the hospice this week and enjoyed getting a big fuss from patients currently receiving support through the wellbeing programme.
Syve, Finn, Bailey and George all received a very warm welcome from staff and patients… and all appeared to enjoy the attention!
Debra Foden, who volunteers with Pets as Therapy, brought along four-year-old Bernese Mountain dog Bailey to enjoy a fun afternoon with wellbeing patients at the hospice.
Debra said: “Bailey always makes people smile and wherever I take her people will always make a fuss of her. She is a big dog but she is a gentle giant and she loves the fuss and attention. You see people’s faces light when they see her and it’s lovely to see.”
Therapy dogs of all breeds and sizes and their volunteer owners have visited patients at the hospice for many years.
Carolyn James, Nightingale House Hospice Wellbeing Lead, said: “We love welcoming therapy dogs to the hospice. They bring a huge amount of warmth and comfort to everyone here and patients love finding out about them and how they are trained. They make everyone’s day a little brighter and it’s lovely to see the smiles on patients’ faces and hearing them share stories about their own pets.”
