'Catholic dogs' bring cheer to elderly, ill

National Catholic Reporter, Jan 21, 2005 by Patricia Lefevere

The Catholic dogs were polite and waited until Reiser has finished speaking before they make their rounds. Petita and Pansy took turns sitting on the laps of several women in wheelchairs while Pongo did his rendition of "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" and "By the Light of the Silvery Moon" with Clark leading and many residents joining in.

Resident Mary Shepherd said she never owned a dog, but loves it when Angels 3 visit. Her cat, Pumpkin, sleeps in her room. Rita Schultz enjoyed playing with Pansy whose bright eyes glistened as if to say he was having fun too.

Rita's husband, Ed Schultz, a retired banker, petted Petita and slowly told the story that explained the oxygen mask he wore. "A pack a day for 55 years." Regrets? Plenty. Outside a Dairy Queen last summer, he spotted five boys smoking. He parked and went over and gave them a 10-minute lecture. "They thanked me," said Schultz, 80.

As Clark packed up her trio and sang farewell to those gathered in the lounge, Schultz reached for her hand: "You bring such, joy," he told her.

Clark took no bow. "It's not me; it's the dogs." The seniors, smiling, gave a final pat to Petita, Pansy and Pongo and invited them back soon.

Before leaving, Clark handed everyone a card with a photo of the dogs on the cover and a poem inside describing the three shorthaired friends and their mission: "The love we bring to you will brighten your smile and make your heart sing."

In the parking lot, packing her canine cargo for the trip home through suburban rush-hour traffic, Clark said, "I enjoy the visits as much as the dogs or more. I can relate to the elderly."

Clark's favorite visits are to units where the residents have Alzheimer's or dementia. "People never lose their love of music and animals," no matter what else goes, she said. "When I see chair-bound, non-cognitive persons and I put a dog in their lap or I begin to sing to them, I see that the wheels are turning; they're starting to come alive."

[Patricia Lefevere, a longtime contributor to NCR, lives in New Jersey.]