Victory Centre of Bartlett adopts dog from Anderson Animal Shelter
June 3 marked a special day at the Victory Centre of Bartlett. The senior community's residents and staff enjoyed a "Welcome Home Daisy Mae Party" to celebrate the arrival of their new companion animal adopted from Anderson Animal Shelter.
The 2-year-old black and white Labrador mix is not the first canine to live there. Three former dogs have called the Victory Centre home.
Understandably, the former dogs' passing broke many hearts, so when the search for a new pet began it was done with utmost consideration.
Rose Simone, Victory Centre's community life manager, wanted to find the right dog for their seniors. She tells us what attracted her to Daisy Mae: "She was focused, friendly, calm and relaxed, not too big, not too small, not too young and not too old. Just like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, she was just right."
The apartment community offers both supportive and independent senior living and focuses on a holistic approach to healthcare. Residents take active roles in participating in wellness programs, planning and executing their annual holiday bazaar, and organizing monthly community projects. One such project was collecting over two hundred pairs of shoes for the Anderson Animal Shelter's "Shoes to the Rescue" fundraising event.
The Victory Centre encourages potential tenants to live with their pets if they are capable of caring for them, therefore, Daisy Mae shares her home with an array of canines and felines. This added amenity goes hand-in-hand with Victory's life-enriching environment and philosophy to live well, age well and be well. Resident Pat Krupica would agree. She resides in an independent living apartment and enjoys walking her two adorable Pugs, Ivy and Molly.
Pet-ownership, among elderly people, provides an important source of social support that enhances physical health and well-being.
Melissa Trejo, the Victory Centre's life enrichment manager, has seen the effects first hand. She remarks that having an in-house companion animal fills residents with nostalgia and gives them a sense of purpose.
"I see a lot of residents who don't normally come out. Now we have the dog and they're down here all the time wanting to play with her," Trejo said. "We've got residents, some with dementia, they don't really communicate and they don't know what's going on, but once they're around the dog they're a whole new person. The light just sparks in them."
Daisy's care is shared by both staff and residents. The staff feeds, nurses bathe and residents play with and walk her. The pooch has some downtime too, whether it is soaking up the sun with residents as they read in the courtyard, taking leisurely naps under the desks of employees or overnight rests in her comfy crate.
Steve Frost, animal enrichment and behavior manager for Anderson Animal Shelter, is assisting the Centre with Daisy's training. He is utilizing a type of positive reinforcement called "event marker" training wherein food rewards serve as a primary reinforcement and a clicker is second. Daisy will make the association between the sound of the click and the food reward when a desirable behavior is marked. By utilizing positive reinforcement and event marker training, residents who are physically able to use a clicker and toss a treat, even in a wheelchair or walker, can help train.
"We're so privileged to have the Victory Centre extend their compassion to a shelter animal in need. Daisy is serving an important role by providing love, enrichment, and enjoyment to the residents. The staff and residents have gone above and beyond to provide her with a loving home!" Current challenges include consistency and teaching Daisy to be appropriately playful with smaller dogs but Steve Frost is confident that that they can quickly get her to where she needs to be. He's already conducted introductory, staff, resident and dog interaction teaching sessions at the Centre. He notes, "The Victory Centre is a large place with a lot going on. It is so wonderful to see them embrace Daisy and training with open arms. Daisy is a great dog and through the dedication and compassion of the Victory Centre staff, she's doing wonderfully with basic behaviors as she continues to get acclimated. It would be lovely to go above and beyond and teach Daisy some advanced tricks to bring joy to the residents with whom she spends her days. The possibilities are endless for this sweet girl!"
The Centre is Rose Simone's second home - where everyone is family - where everyone has a story she enjoys hearing. That goes for Daisy Mae too. "We just love Daisy. She gets so many hugs and kisses and she loves everyone here. It's been a pleasure having her."
It sure seems like everything is coming up Daisy's. The Centre's warmhearted residents and staff have given this previously unwanted mixed breed dog a second chance. Her life, once broken, is whole again. Daisy Mae offers her unconditional love in return. Her presence provides joy and comfort and makes the Victory Centre of Bartlett a happy home for all.
Anderson Animal Shelter, 1000 S. LaFox Road in South Elgin, collaborates with public and private organizations and individuals to shelter, care for and promote the adoption of homeless, stray and unwanted companion animals. The shelter is a 501(c)3 charitable organization and does not receive any federal or state funding. The shelter advocates for the compassionate and humane treatment of these animals through direct care, humane education and community outreach programs. For information, including adoption, volunteering, donation drives and membership opportunities, visit www.andersonanimalshelter.org, email info@andersonanimalshelter.org or call (847) 697-2880.