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Already best friends, dogs become healers
(by K. Darius Amos - January 29, 2008)
Six-year-old German Shepherd Cassie meets Kimberly
Cassie smiled.
To Kimberly’s mother, Rosmira, Cassie’s visit to her daughter’s hospital room last week was priceless, almost as important as the daily trips that the doctors and nurses make. Rosmira knows that the medical professionals are there to improve her child’s health, but Cassie is there simply to brighten Kimberly’s day.
In fact, dozens of pediatric patients at HUMC received the same smile and kiss that Kimberly experienced last Friday. On that day, the hospital’s Department of Volunteer Services officially announced its partnership with the Westminster Kennel Club’s charity Angel on a Leash, a pet therapy service.
Cassie, a 6-year-old German Shepherd, was one of more than half-dozen dogs to make the rounds at the hospital. There was much kissing and licking, tail wagging and smiles, as the therapy dogs said hello to their new friends at HUMC.
“The energy changes when the dogs enter a room,” said David Frei, director of the Delta Society and the longtime television co-host of the Westminster Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. The Delta Society is a worldwide organization that advocates the use of therapy dogs.
“When I enter a room, no one remembers my name, but everyone remembers the dogs.”
The Angel on a Leash program is now in its third year, and its volunteer pool has swelled to more than 25 therapy dog teams. The role of each team, which includes the dog and its owner/handler, has evolved to more than just making appearances in hospital rooms.
According to Angel on a Leash, the dogs actually become part of the treatment process and work alongside a health professional with hopes of reaching “goal-oriented improvements in physical, emotional and cognitive skills of the patients.”
Marie’s angel
Marie Threlfall, Cassie’s owner, knows first hand of a canine’s healing powers. Before Cassie joined Angel on a Leash, she was Threlfall’s therapy dog.
For years, Threlfall battled serious depression but was successfully treated for it. Despite overcoming depression, Threlfall still encountered frequent panic attacks that often emotionally crippled her, leaving her confined inside her home. But that’s when Cassie entered her life.
“I didn’t even want a dog; my son did,” admitted Threlfall, a Lyndhurst resident. “But I suddenly became attached to [Cassie].”
“Cassie would often accompany me on car rides and she helped me put my anxieties at ease. She really gave me the confidence and push to get back into the world,” she added.
The bond between Threlfall and Cassie was strong enough that it caught the attention of Dr. Marguerite Hoey, of Kearny’s Arlington Dog and Cat Hospital. Dr. Hoey then nominated Cassie for the New Jersey Veterinary Foundation’s Animal Hall of Fame, which awarded Cassie in 2007.
But Threlfall soon found that she had exchanged roles with Cassie in spring 2006. That year, Cassie, who was already volunteering at HUMC and the Meadowlands Hospital in Secaucus, among others, as well as appearing at various area libraries and nursing homes, was stricken with a life-threatening form of anemia.
“For about six months, she had the life-threatening illness and was on life support. We all thought the worst,” Threlfall said.
But Threlfall and Cassie’s doctors kept the dog on medication and ultimately nursed Cassie back to health by the end of that year. Fully recovered, Cassie and Threlfall were back to work soon thereafter.
“She was my angel and she’s been an angel to so many other people,” Threlfall said. “We had to go back out there to visit others.”
Spirits and smiles
Back at Hackensack University Medical Center, Cassie’s spirit and smile last week showed no signs that she was once moments away from death. Her character, along with that of the other dogs, brought life to the patients.
Pediatric patient Benjamin Howard, of Rutherford, was in bed while his visiting brothers were playing video games. The boys, however, dropped their controllers and focused their attention on Cassie when she walked into the room. Benjamin, who had been relatively silent until that point, was beaming.
Scratching the dog behind her ears, Benjamin started to tell Threlfall and Cassie about his pit bull back home. He mixed his puppy stories with tales of video game conquests and notable quotes from recent Arnold Schwarzenegger films.
“That’s the mission of programs like Angel on a Leash,” said Frei.
“If we make the patient forget that he’s inside a hospital room, at least just for a moment, and puts him at ease, then we know it works.”
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