COVID Diaries

Pups on parade help seniors stay paws-a-tive

BY DEB MAITLAND

Our local St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog team held a celebratory parade in honour of the residents of Willingdon Creek Village and Evergreen Extended Care Unit on August 17. The parade kicked off at Willingdon Creek Village at 11am and we paraded down Kiwanis Avenue over to Evergreen Extended Care Unit, and wrapped up at the Powell River General Hospital.

And the fascinatorwearing English bull terrier Norton is owned by Alane Wilson and Terry Noreault.

Our therapy dog team has been on “lock down” since March and although some of our handlers have been holding “virtual” visits via Zoom and Facetime, we are missing our friends from the care facilities. We therefore thought it was time for some safe-distancing window visits.

Alison Foss with Lou-Lou jumping through a hoop

The residents were eagerly awaiting our arrival and were lined up at all the windows. We waved, and held up our poster boards to the windows which were filled with messages like “We miss you,” “Stay Paws-a-tive”, “You’re Pawsome”, etc.

In the parade were handler Michelle Stevens with her Golden Doodle puppy Mia

It was a fabulous event and brought smiles, tears of joy and oodles of paws-a-tivity to both the residents and our Therapy Dog team.