Therapy dog brings healing, comfort to Indiana patients

VINCENNES, Ind. (AP) - Gloria Emmons looks down at her feet, the soles of her shoes resting on the footpads of her wheelchair.

Her daily therapy at Good Samaritan Hospital's inpatient rehab facility can be difficult and exhausting, but when she hears the tale-tell, clickety-clack sound of four furry feet heading in her direction, she looks up and a bright smile transforms her face.

"Can you sit for me?" Emmons asks Major, a 4-year-old standard poodle, her voice gentle and smooth.

And just as she asks, Major sits and places a single paw into her lap.

"That's a good boy," Emmons said as she leans in close, her nose nearly touching Major's. "You're a friend of mine, aren't you, Major?

"You love being a friend of mine," she said, tilting her head and resting it against Major's soft, perfectly groomed ear.

"There," said Carol Montgomery, Major's handler, as she nods in Emmons' direction. "That smile - that's why we do this."

Major, a certified therapy dog, has been visiting the hospital once a week for the last couple of months, bringing joy and comfort to those seeking treatment at both the inpatient and outpatient rehab facilities.

Amy Pfoff, the stroke coordinator for the rehab units and the outpatient physical medicine manager, had been on the hunt for a qualified therapy dog for more than two years and when Major came along she felt she'd finally found the right fit.

"He's so sweet," Pfoff said as Major sat like a perfect gentleman at her feet, her fingers stroking the gray curls of his chest. "He's extremely well-behaved, and he just sits right next to you until (Montgomery) signals to him that it's time to move on.

"People love it, even the staff," she said with a giggle as two nurses leaned around a door jam to have a peek. "We always ask, of course, but for most everyone, Major comes in and immediately puts a smile on their face."

Major belongs to Montgomery and Elizabeth Ashworth, a cardiothoracic surgeon at GSH.

Ashworth picked him out of a litter four years ago while living in Kansas with the intention of training him to be a therapy dog. His calm and mild-mannered personality, she said, jumped right out at her.

"He just enjoyed having someone pet him," she said, patting the top of Major's head. "And he loved having someone next to him. His father, too, would just stand next to you and lean against your leg.

"So I hoped he'd have the right pedigree."

Ashworth's instinct was correct, and after years of training, Major earned his certification as a therapy dog. He was most recently certified for another two years through a chapter of Pet Partners in Indianapolis.

Always eager to please, he responds primarily to hand signals - a finger point means to lay down, a thumbs up translates to "good job," and a wide circle acts as an indication that it's time to work.

He visited with patients alongside Montgomery, a physical therapist, and Ashcroft at their respective jobs in Kansas for awhile then the three moved to Vincennes about two years ago.

Since then, Montgomery and Major have split their time between here and Montgomery's job at a medical facility in Columbus.

Inevitably, when Major comes walking down the hallway - his gray coat and bright yellow vest a welcome contrast to the often stark white walls of a hospital - people emerge from every nook and cranny, all of them wearing smiles and eager for a little bit of canine affection.

But they soak it up and let him go on about his way as they know his place is with the patients.

They all know just how much it helps in the patients' recoveries, Montgomery said, because traditional medicine can only go so far.

"Dogs can have such a huge benefit for people," she said. "I think that's why therapy dogs have become so much more popular.

"When you're sick, it's difficult. You can't walk. Maybe you have a chronic illness and you're just trying to get back home. Major provides that sense of encouragement. They immediately feel better, and that's important in overcoming the struggles and challenges their physical bodies are presenting to them.

"(Major) gives them an infusion of spirit and well-being, some of those qualities you just don't get when we do two sets of ten (of an exercise)."

Pfoff, too, said Major has been "a great addition" to their rehab programs. The use of a therapy dog, she said, has been proven to help with depression, lower blood pressure and "so many other health benefits," she said.

"Even the staff, if you're having a horrible day, just petting a dog for awhile, it de-stresses you," she said. "And it's really been great that the hospital has been so supportive of this."

Dr. Victor Kirchoff, the hospital's medical director, even called Major "Mr. Perfect."

"Our patients just really perk up when he comes around," Kirchoff said, leaning down and rubbing Major's chest vigorously with both hands. "Whether they're recovering from a stroke, mental health issues or brain trauma, they just smile when Major walks in.

"It's an emotional boost for the patients," he said. "And sometimes it's what gets them home."

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Source: Vincennes Sun-Commercial

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Information from: Vincennes Sun-Commercial, http://www.vincennes.com