Nursing and Animal-Assisted Therapy

Nurses have long balanced the effects of the environment with the status of a patient’s health, sometimes working with the environment (keeping wounds clear of bacteria with sterile water) or against it (combating unwelcomed bacteria found in a wound that normally is present in the environment). Nurses do this so well because of their background in human health and medicine, their skill in observation (assessment) and intuition, and their ability to be creative and flexible in support of patient wellness and recovery. In the 1960’s an intensive care nurse proposed an idea of working with canines in hospitals to offer therapeutic support for her patients, hence the origins of Animal-Assisted Therapy and the visits that happen in hospitals every day, around the world. Interestingly enough, the reading to a dog program was also started by a nurse who saw the need for children to improve confidence in reading aloud among their peers. It seems fitting, then, that nurses working with dogs in the community is a natural step in continuing to help children navigate and connect with their environment to heal and to protect their wellness, that will last well into adulthood. And so, Ted and I (and future rescued canines) begin our service to children and their families as well as the rescued canines who deserve a chance to work and share their gifts to help heal our world. ​

​Welcome to our pack!