An important part of being a therapy dog handler that is often overlooked is your ability to interact with people. A good therapy dog handler is an engaged listener, taking time to listen and process what someone is telling you while on a visit. They offer a smile when they approach and can hold a friendly conversation. You never know when your visit might make the difference between a good or a difficult day to someone. Last year, Eric Reisman, an ATD Member and handler, had a visit where he realized just how important his therapy dog visits were in someone’s life. Thank you for sharing the following story of your touching moment, Eric.
Saving a Life
“You’ve made my day!” I’ve grown accustomed to hearing that from people I visit with Demetra, my 10-year-old Collie therapy dog. Though expressed countless times, it touches my heart every time I hear it from a patient in a hospital, a resident in a nursing home or a medical staff member at a cancer treatment facility.
I had an extraordinary experience earlier last year that went far beyond making someone’s day.
There is one elderly man, I’ll call him “Bob,” I have been visiting on a weekly basis at a nursing home for about two years. Demetra takes a particular interest in seeing Bob. Her tail wags and body sways from side to side like a pup as she goes up to greet him. Our visits are usually fun and light-hearted. This time, however, was different.
Bob became serious as he confided something to me that had obviously been on his mind for a long time. Bob wanted me to know the profound impact on his life my visits with Demetra had on him. He began to recount his state of mind when we first began to visit him two years ago.
“I was ready to go, to give up. That week I thought I am not going to get out, it was an inevitable situation. I had no more fight left in me. That special day, Demetra’s timing couldn’t have been better. She opened up her heart to me. I realized I wasn’t at the end of my rope. She brought me out of a real bad spot.”
Bob’s words stunned me, and I did not want to forget them. I asked him if it was okay if I wrote his statement down. He said, “Yes” and added, “If Demetra didn’t come by that day, you wouldn’t be writing this now.”
Bob contemplated ending his life and our visit prevented that from happening. Demetra took him out of a “real bad spot.” I began to reflect on that after we left his room. It added a deeper understanding of the far-reaching effect the simple act of sharing the joy and happiness from our beloved dogs gives to others.
You and your companion may do more than “make someone’s day” in one of your pet therapy visits. As a team, you may help to save a person’s life.
