G I V I N G
B A C K
THE GOLDEN RULE
Therapy dogs bring a touch of relief to UNC patients HEN LUKE WALKS IN, THE MOOD IN THE hospital brightens. Smiles appear, and “ooohs” and “awws” take over. Soon, everyone is rubbing their hands together with hand sanitizer for the chance to kneel down and pet Luke, Gretchen Aylsworth’s 3-year-old golden retriever. This is Luke and Gretchen’s second visit to UNC Health Care Medical Center’s Hillsborough campus as one of 22 Pet Partners teams at UNC designed to comfort patients across five UNC hospitals. Gretchen – who lives with her husband, Dr. Arthur S. Aylsworth, and Luke in the Greenwood neighborhood – has helped train dogs with a purpose for years. Since 2008, she’s worked with Eyes Ears Nose & Paws (EENP) – a nonprofit that trains and places service dogs – and currently serves on its board of directors. “Helping to train service dogs, I saw the joy [they] brought people; I’ve seen what dogs can do,” Gretchen says. Unlike a service dog who might be trained to watch his owner for signs of health concern, Luke – as a therapy dog – is trained to welcome pets from people. The first step to getting Luke hospital-ready was regular obedience training, managed with the help of Chris O’Connor of In Good Hands Dog Walking and Training and Barbara Long of Paw In Hand Dog Training. Most dogs need to wait until they are 2 years old and their puppy energy has settled to pass the national Pet Partners’ test. Once Luke passed and was also accepted by the hospital system, Gretchen shadowed Pet Partners evaluator Shellie Yaseen and her shiatsu mix, Daisy, to learn hospital procedures including laying down a clean sheet before Luke can visit with each patient. Gretchen and Luke, then with the mentorship of Shellie for a few more visits, began meeting patients and making an impact. Therapy teams like Luke and Gretchen can visit anywhere from once a month to four times a month, greeting six to eight bedsides on an average visit. However, for the Pet Partners teams, it is the quality of visits that is stressed over the quantity. If a team already has a connection with a patient, they are encouraged to prioritize that patient. On his first visit in November, Luke met Demetrius Brooks of Fayetteville, who had been in the hospital since late September for surgery. They met in the lobby and Luke’s sweet kisses lifted Demetrius’s spirits. When the two met again the following week, Demetrius was eager to share his progress when the golden sidled up to his bed. “He likes meeting people,” Gretchen says of Luke, “and I like meeting people. That is reason enough; [this work] is totally fulfilling.” – Laura Zolman Kirk CHM
December 2016 chapelhillmagazine.com
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