Pet Therapy
An 80 year old man was one of our patients in Calvary he was a bit reclusive & stoic officer in the army during the war, high anxiety, sleepless, and difficult to manage his pain.
Wednesday morning came and Chris one of the volunteers, entered the room with Tempe her pet therapy dog. This gentleman firstly gave Chris the brush off, but then spotted the dog.
Chris noticed the spark and asked if he had ever had a dog. The story then unfolded that he had no-one else but his dog and that he had no-one to look after the dog and didn't know if he was dead or alive. Chris did a bit of detective work and discovered that his neighbour had in fact been feeding the dog by throwing food over the back fence.
After some discussion with staff, Chris phoned the local radio station on the South Coast, told them the story and asked if anyone was coming to Sydney, could they bring the dog. A family responded and brought up the dog the next day. As soon as the gentleman knew his beloved mate was still alive and coming to visit, his pain settled and he slept that night for the first time in many.
The dog arrived in Sydney late Sunday afternoon. Chris washed and groomed the dog and took the dog to visit that afternoon instead of waiting for the next day. The gentleman was so delighted to see his 'old mate' and to know that the family who brought the dog to Sydney would adopt and care for his dog. The old gentleman died a peaceful and pain free death that night.