Pet Connections: Positively Powerful
Ever wonder what volunteering with Pet Connections is like? After a recent therapy dog session at University of Rochester, one of our wonderful Pet Connections volunteers sent us this touching note about her experience.
There was a swarm of little kids petting Joey, and one little girl was hanging back and looking beyond sad. Her student mentor was asking her if she wanted to pet the dog, and the girl would just sadly shake her head “no”. She did keep inching closer though. So I chatted with the girl a little bit and told her that Joey was shy too, and it took him a while to be OK, so he understood and he was happy that she was standing near him. And as if to confirm this, Joey turned towards her and gave her the most sweet look and then turned his head back to the other kids. Over time the girl inched closer and eventually she gently touched his back and then made her way around to his face with all the other kids. The mentor asked “what do you see in his eyes?” and the little girl paused, and said very quietly “happiness.”
We then went up to the library where kids were studying and the students quickly flocked around us. One girl came up to me and said she was just struggling with some anatomy work, and she looked up and the room was full of golden retrievers! She could not believe her good luck. So many students were so grateful for a break and I heard many stories of students missing their own pets. It is really something to walk around and just by being there, bring so much happiness to people. Enzo and Kim helped us learn that it takes twice as long to get to anyplace because everyone wants to pet the dog. There is also a wave of “awwwwww” when 4 golden retrievers walk anywhere together. It is interesting to feel so gently and positively powerful.
Thank you all for an inspiring afternoon.
Anne
Connecting animals and people is what Pet Connections is all about! Pet Connections, a division of Ontario ARC, combines the healing power of pets with socialization to provide a unique experience for each person. To learn more about Pet Connections, visit their website at mypetconnections.org.