Protecting Your Pet: Hospital healing

A car accident almost killed Jamie Hosn. After three months in a coma, the prognosis promised little of the life Jamie had known.

Jamie Hosn, patient
"They thought I would be like a baby. I couldn't speak or eat or anything. I had a spinal cord injury. Right now I am trying to walk."

Jamie's recovery relies on an important therapist; a chocolate lab named Kobe. Therapy dog volunteer Amy Peer has seen the profound difference a dog like Kobe can make.

Amy Peer, People-Animal Connection
"By the time they get down here the reality of what has happened hits they are so depressed and it is hard to motivate them to get them to work. For the people who love animals, they are so taken by the interaction with they dog that they forget that they are actually working."

Or for a moment they can forget that they are actually waiting...For a new heart. Sandra Williams waits for a donor with a welcome distraction.

Sandra Williams, patient
"I don't have any worries right now. I'm great. And right here, right now, I am just fine."

Jack Barron, People-Animal Connection
"You bring a dog down the hallway and that dog gets everybody's focus and everybody's day is has been improved either by looking at that dog or getting down and playing with that dog."

...Especially for young children who may be in the hospital for months on end.

Serena Real, grandmother
"What she gave him at that moment, and I could see Lucy, and I told her thank you for being here. Great dog."

Serena Real met Lucy when the pet therapist came to the intensive care unit to see her grandson, Louie. He's been waiting for months for a new heart. Lucy is a calming distraction for Louie and a new friend.

Shrewsbury Paws for Patients is a local participant in the therapy dog program for more information visit: www.shrewsburypaws.com

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