AMAZING GRACE PET RESCUE, HOBBS, NM

Living Center Continued from 6

She wasn’t about to argue with fate.

Once Rufener had signed the adoption papers, Farr recalled, “she said something to me that took my breath away: ‘I walked in here with one life partner and I’m walking out with another.’”

The day the two went home together marked the program’s first success. Laverne found a temporary home and rejuvenated the Living Center, where loneliness and boredom are common among residents. Then she went on to a permanent home, and a home where she made all the difference.

“Animals have a healing power,” Farr said. “They really, really do. And she figured out who needed her most.”

With Laverne, the people behind SeniorPAWS did precisely what they set out to do, and what they hope to replicate. With Joey they failed.

Failure is a technical term here, though. When a foster family, or nursing home, becomes so hopelessly attached to an animal that they can’t bear to see the creature go, the incident is half-jokingly deemed a “foster failure.”

That was the unsurprising outcome of Joey’s arrival at the Living Center early this year. The 8-year-old Chihuahuaminiature pinscher mix swaggered in “like she was meant to be there forever,” Farr said. Without hesitation she cuddled up to her new human roommates, and they, for their part, were smitten.

“Joey brings joy to everybody,” said John Paul Trudelle,

PEAK PETS • JACKSON HOLE NEWS&GUIDE, Wednesday, June 24, 2020 - 7 a “parade” of residents filed into newest addition being Jack, a the office of Malenda Hoel10-year-old Jack Russell terscher, the director of the Living rier-Chihuahua mix from El Center, to let her know Joey had Paso Animal Services. (The to stay. small-dog trend is deliberate. “We had residents threatenFarr vets and selects only those ing to leave if we did not adopt animals that will get along with her,” said Connie Hansen, the the elders: not too big, wellcenter’s life enrichment director. behaved, energetic but gentle.) Kate Wienman, a speech SeniorPAWS is accepting p a t h o l o g i s t applic ations at the Living for Jack’s Center who devised the “She’s one adoption. T h o u g h idea for Sen i o r PAW S , of the reasons the program is still fresh, said it’s not just the resiI get up its first success seems a dents who stand to gain, either. in the morning and get on tribute to its potential to unite people She and the rest of the with the day.” and animals in a way Farr staff have enjoyed the dogs — Nancy Rufener calls “symbiotic.” Human just as much, adopter of laverne and dog each as have visitoffer the other ing friends something viand families. Many say a strontal to their well-being. ger sense of community has Residents say Joey is a conformed around Joey. stant source of happiness at the “It feels more like home Living Center. And whenever RYAN DORGAN / NEWS&GUIDE At the request of a number of St. John’s Living Center residents, Joey was adopted and now lives there permanently. when you have animals around,” said Danny Keller, 76, another resident. Nancy Rufener’s thoughts turn dark, comfort and laughter are only as far away as her new 80, who has lived at the center for just over a year. “I think she’s the right dog and the right conditions. Just perfect.” She’s become a sort of mascot, not to mention Employee of the Month (a distinction that came with a signed letter from St. John’s Health CEO Paul Beaupre, despite the fact that Joey barks at him whenever he comes around). While the staff see to most of her day-to-day needs, the feed her treats, along with scraps of food from their own meals. Since the pandemic compelled them to eat in their bedrooms, Joey has taken to roaming the halls and poking her head in wherever she can find crumbs, not without encouragement. “She loves to mooch,” Trudelle said. “She looks at me very sad and hungry. But a pet is a pet. What are we supposed to do?” With canine charms like The SeniorPAWS program also aims to integrate the Living Center with the broader community of Jackson Hole by giving the residents a role in finding the right home for the dogs they foster. Once they’ve spent two weeks with an animal, it’s listed for adoption and residents get to meet and talk with prospective families. Coronavirus put a damper on the program for a few months, as staff debated when it would be safe to bring in more dogs. companion. Even if Laverne is a bed hog, even if she seems to be constantly on a mission to trip her human in the kitchen, she has helped Rufener through this period of loss as only a dog can. “Without her I don’t know what I would have done,” Rufener said. “She’s one of the reasons I get up in the morning and get on with the day.” Contact Cody Cottier via 732-7071 or jlove@ residents take her for walks and that, it didn’t take long before But it’s back on track, with the jhnewsandguide.com.

Place Pet Plus Grub-n-Stuff

Our Pet Food Bank Is Still Open & We Thank The Following Members Of Our Community For Their Generous Contributions To It:

We established our pet food bank to help those dog & cat owners who are finding it difficult to feed their pets because of the Coronavirus Pandemic. If that is your situation, please pickup food left on the porch of the dog house in front of our store.

SOUTH PARK LOOP

GREGORY LANE MARTIN LANE HWY 89 OR BROADWAY

Susan Armstrong Ellie Baker Kimberly Brandt Ben Brettell Chris Butler Ann Dwan Alice Finley Kent Fiske Jessica Foster & Frankie Sharene Garaman Lynn Hammond Betsy Hesser Connie Kemmerer Angela Kennedy Karen & Amanda Lucas Jim & Barbara Lyons Lisa Marapese Donna Marts Valerie & Mike May Rob & Ruth Peters Leonard Purkis Gretchen Randolph Lee Riddell Blanch Robertson Nancy Rufener Tea Sheehan Janice Skinner Ian & Victoria Smith Lisa Vallely Becky Watson Kay & Tom Wilson And all those that donated anonymously

Special thanks to Buckrail, Jackson Hole News & Guide, and PAWS for informing the community about the pet food bank with news coverage, resource guides, and social media posts.

Thanks to our vendors and pet food companies for their contributions: Animal Supply Company, Canidae Pet Food, Muenster Milling, & Nutrisource Pet Foods.