Therapy dog Olive’s patient visits at STARS are ‘paw-some’
Delta Therapy Dog Olive with her guardian Rosie.
‘Dog-tor’ Olive is bringing smiles to the faces of patients at STARS, as part of the Delta Therapy Dogs Program.
Pats, cuddles and lots of love are the order of the day whenever Olive and her guardian, Rosie visit, lifting the spirits of those who are having a ‘ruff’ day.
Two-year-old Olive has been a Delta Therapy Dog for five months, her lovely temperament and training mean that she works hand-in-paw with the rehabilitation teams to support patients and their families in their recovery.
Guardian Rosie sees the benefit of working closely with the hospital to give patients the best outcomes from their visits.
“The staff at STARS are also very supportive of the visits,” Rosie said.
“I love coming to STARS as patients can be here for several weeks or months, so we get to revisit them, fortnight to fortnight.
“When patients pat Olive it is a reminder of their own pets at home. It prompts them to talk to me about their own pets.
“What I love about volunteering is meeting the patients and staff, but also the lovely connection I form with Olive.”
For STARS patient James, Olive’s visits are extra special.
“Olive provides a lovely distraction to my hospital stay and it is so nice to be able to pat a dog as I do miss my own dog back home. My dog is actually a therapy dog too, so I can really appreciate having Olive here and all that she does to brighten patients’ days,” said James.
Rosie works as a nurse at an adolescent mental health facility and visits STARS with Olive on her day off.
Thank you to all the wonderful Delta Dog Therapy guardians and their dogs across Metro North who provide patients and staff with a reason to smile!