Animals make an impact at hospital
Although attached to her IV line while in bed at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, 7-year-old Jenna Edwards of Itasca excitedly clapped at the latest visitor to enter her room: Ripley, a Newfoundland/golden retriever mix, wearing his volunteer badge.
Ripley was among the first group of dogs to emerge from the hospital's animal-assisted therapy program last summer, and he remains among its most popular.
The program now includes 28 dogs and their handlers who meet with patients seven days a week, ranging from pediatrics to three in-patient units and radiation oncology department. But facilitators would like to include more.
In fact, they will accept applications for new furry volunteers and their handlers through June 10, before the new temperament and obedience evaluation begins, leading to the rigorous three-day training course.
"We'd like to expand it to be hospital-wide," says Diane Colville, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation manager, who brought the idea to hospital officials. "There's a real comfort that dogs can bring to people who enjoy animals."
As Ripley enters Jenna's room, with his handler Wendy Czaplewski of Arlington Heights, he wags his tail at the prospect of meeting another patient.
While petting him, Jenna compares Ripley to her own dog at home -- Ripley is much bigger -- and her grandparents' dogs down the street.
Czaplewski, a veterinarian technician at Alpine Animal Hospital in Lake Zurich, finds most of the patients she meets make a connection with Ripley based on their own dogs at home, and just meeting Ripley helps to calm them, and even speed their recovery.
Next door, 5-year old Sam Hall of Rolling Meadows is a bit more hesitant at meeting Ripley, but gradually he warms up to his furry visitor. He even lets the dog give him a kiss on the cheek, to which he declares: "He has stinky teeth."
Meantime, down in the hospital's ambulatory infusions department, another dog and its handler make the rounds.
Kirby, an 8-year old Portuguese water dog, dons a black top hat for his two-hour shift with his handler, Eddi Perlis of Buffalo Grove, and the dog draws so much attention from patients, they sign up and patiently wait their turn for a visit.
Trudy Kalov of Wheeling is among one of the first. While she receives her infusion, Kirby patiently puts his head on her lap, to soak up all of her attention and petting.
"I just love dogs," Kalov said. "I had a dog for 13 years. It just brightens your day."
Kirby seems amazingly calm and compliant. Colville explains that he is carefully screened and thoroughly trained before setting foot in a hospital ward and visiting his first patient.
She adds that typically only 35 to 40 percent of dogs that go through the hospital's temperament and obedience evaluation make it to the training phase.
"They have to be able to obey basic commands, like heel, sit and stay," Colville says, "but they also have to be able to socialize with other dogs and love people."
Colville patterns the program after a successful one at Edward Hospital in Naperville. The three-day training course takes place in a suite of mock hospital rooms in the medical center's basement, complete with all the lines and tubes -- and sounds -- dogs are likely to encounter in patients' rooms.
She describes how the dogs have helped to reduce patients' stress, pain and anxiety, while lowering their blood pressure and abating their loneliness, all while advancing the healing process.
"For me, it's a labor of love," says Colville. "I firmly believe in the human and animal bond, and comfort these dogs can bring."
Is your pet up to it?
New session: An evaluation of animals for temperament and obedience will be held. About 40 will be chosen for the training, a rigorous three-day course.
Deadline to apply: June 10
Downloadable application: www.nch.org/animalassist
Call: Diane Colville at (847) 618-7968