Witness the mysterious power of dogs
Something about dogs cheers people who are sick, old or tired. It’s difficult to explain but obvious to observe.
To see for myself, I met about 10 dogs and their owners outside Faith Haven Senior Care Centre of Jackson. They belong to a volunteer group called Fleet’s Therapy Dogs, and they were out on a regular mission to make strangers feel better.
Crazy as it sounds, I swear the dogs could barely wait to go inside the nursing home and get to work.
Beth Sabin said her dog, Chloe, a mix of Akita and collie, grows visibly eager at first sight of a special bib she wears while on duty.
“She gets all excited and puts out her neck so we can put the bib on,” said Sabin.
Three times a month, the dogs visit nursing homes and medical facilities in the Jackson area. The person in charge is Brenda Vailliencourt, a dog trainer who owns Advanced K-9 Academy in Parma. Fleet was the name of her original therapy dog.
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