Since July 2022, MNMH TPCH East and West Wings have been funded to provide therapy dog visits. These dogs (and their humans) are sourced from Delta Therapy Dogs – to us though, they’re affectionally called the ‘Delta Doggies’. Delta Therapy Dogs is a national non-profit organisation who believe that “the human-animal bond improves quality of life and leaves lasting paw prints on hearts”. Our observations is that this is 100% true!

The Delta Doggies have been a welcome reprieve from the daily and often stressful burdens experienced by both staff and consumers. We regularly overhear comments (from staff) to the theme of ‘this has made my entire day’ or ‘a pat with you has taken away my stresses’. The difference in energy, mood and general team enthusiasm is palpable after a Delta Doggie visit.

Money raised for these weekly visits was achieved through wonderful donations (from our broader community) to The Common Good. This wouldn’t have been possible without the consistent support and advocacy from The Common Good’s CEO, Michael Hornby. Michael worked tirelessly with the Occupational Therapy team to achieve this funding and even completed several ward visits to understand the impact of such a service. We are all very grateful for this funding and offer our thanks and appreciation to Michael and The Common Good for enabling this service to happen.