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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
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