Chihuahuas Help Bring Laughter To Seniors

August 06, 2010

also featured in Catholic Aid News "Catholic" Dogs and their Owners Provide Pet Therapy to Elderly

By James Proescholdt Sun Newspapers

The phrase “random acts of kindness” wascoined to describe someone like Sue Clark. Emphasize the “random” part – Clarkwill take her three dogs to visit hospitals and nursing homesfor pet therapy completely on a whim. “There’s norhyme or reason to where I go,” said Clark. In a littlemore than five years, she has randomly visited facilities throughoutMinnesota and Wisconsin, where she used to live.

These random visits began shortly after she acquired her firstdog, Petita while working on the road. “She made such asplash everywhere and she made everyone smile,” recalledClark. She remembered thinking that this dog could bring smilesto people that don’t often smile. Thus, her random visitsbegan.

Petita later gave birth to another female, Pansy, now three yearsold. A year and a half later, her third dog came into her life,a male called Pongo. Clark calls the Chihuahuas her “Angels3” and takes them with her wherever she goes, even to Mass.But Clark most enjoys carting her furry friends to places whereothers need to smile. “You can just see the people brightenand come alive,” she said. “It takes away their pain.”

And after years of visits, Clark has lots of stories to tellof how her dogs helped make people’s days. Once in an Oshkosh,Wis., parking lot, she heard a mother in a wheelchair talkingwith her son about puppies. She went up to her and asked if she’dlike to see hers. That encounter led to other visits to thatfamily. Clark regularly visited a nursing home for a while, wherethere was a man who always sat in a reclining chair day afterday, never saying anything. As Clark was leaving from her thirdvisit, the man suddenly said, “You come back,” thefirst words he had said in months.

With a few more visits, Clark discovered that he once owned adog named Jake, and was now considering buying a new puppy. “Prettysoon he became the most vocal person of the whole place,” saidClark. Brightening people’s days isn’t somethingshe credits to her actions, but instead to those of her dogs. “Itseems like Petita and Pansy especially seem to know who needsattention,” she said. As for Pongo, “He’s quitethe entertainer, that one,” she said. She added that Pongocan sing in a way. As she sings a scale, he sings along, oftengathering a crowd.

Apart from being a candy striper as a child, Clark didn’tdo much volunteering prior to a year ago. She worked as a regionalsalesperson and was often on the road. She recently quit thatjob, moved to the Twin Cities and started working as a personalcare attendant. She now takes care of people and their dailyliving needs in their homes.

Paul Zaslasky is her employer at Visiting Angels, an organizationthat provides senior home care to older adults so that they cancontinue living in their homes. Though Clark has only workedfor him for three months, Zaslasky said he can already tell that “Suereally is special.”

When she first applied for the job, he decided to see if herrandom visits to nursing homes and hospitals were too good tobe true. He called some of the nursing homes and hospitals, allof which raved about her visits. “They said that it’swonderful that she just showed up,” he said.

“What she said that really piqued my interest was that on hertravels, she would always take her pups with her,” saidZaslasky. “She would search out local nursing homes.”

Though she’s lived in Hopkins for only a few months, Clarkhas already visited facilities in Edina and Bloomington, amongothers. “I especially like going into the lockdown units,where we have dementia,” she added.

“Pets are wonderful for seniors,” said Zaslasky. “I’vebeen with her when people have just gathered around her, especiallywhen Pongo sings.” Clark’s rapport with her clientis also great, Zaslasky reported. Clark is a live-in caretakerat her client’s home four days per week. “There’sbeen nothing but kudos all the way through,” he said ofthe client’s reaction to her services.