Therapy Dog Visits the Sick: Chaya's Story
by Dr. Rachel Addleman, DVM, DiplABVP, CVA
Veterinarian and Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Dr. Addleman has advanced training and Board Certification in
feline medicine. She practices in Houston, Texas and can be found at
AnimalFixer.com
Chaya,
certified by Therapy Dogs International (TDI®), jumped up and put her
front paws over the edge of the hospital bed. The patient, a woman not
yet thirty, was recovering from surgery to remove a brain tumor. The
woman reached over to pet Chaya’s head and Chaya lay perfectly still. The
desire to reach out to touch a therapy dog can be the first step in a
patient’s recovery.
A boxer-pointer dog, Chaya took her job very seriously. The wheelchairs
pushing by her did not distract her. She didn’t shy away or bark at loud
noises she heard in the hospital. For many years, she worked in the
rehabilitation wing at Methodist Hospital, moving from room to room
visiting patients. Her job was to provide comfort and companionship to
patients recovering from strokes, brain injuries, spinal cord injury,
neurological disorders and complex orthopedic surgeries such as
amputations.
“Bikur Cholim” or "visiting the sick" in Hebrew, is a mitzvah, a moral
and spiritual obligation incumbent upon all Jews to perform. God visited
Abraham while he was recuperating after being circumcised (Genesis
17:26-18:1). The Talmud (biblical commentary) teaches us that "As He
visited the sick, so shall you visit the sick…"
Want to "GO VISIT"? That was Chaya's code phrase for visiting patients at
the hospital. She would start whining in the car when she could smell the
hospital. The physical therapist would meet Chaya and her handler and
owner Linda Addleman, at the beginning of each session. They would walk
together down the halls visiting each room. Therapy dogs help patients
relieve stress through petting, touching, and by opening up communication
which eases depression.
In 2007 Chaya retired from service when she developed degenerative
myelopathy, a condition similar to Lou Gehrig's disease. Like some of the
patients she used to visit, she slowly lost the ability to walk. "Rofeh
Cholem" in Hebrew means "healing the sick", which wasn't possible with
her disease. "Bikur Cholem" is considered an aspect of "Gemilut
Chasadim", Hebrew for “selfless kindness", a trait that Chaya should
remind us all to aspire to. Because even at the last, Chaya was full of
heart, perking up and getting excited when asked if she wanted to "GO
VISIT?"
Does your dog have what it takes to be in Therapy Dog International?
Visit www.tdi-dog.org.