Pet Therapy Dog
Bodhi of the Rockies
We always have great interactions with families, kids, staff, and other volunteers.
Visits with Kids
Two patient rooms were full of young girls and they screamed when we came in! They were so excited to pet Bodhi. One of them said his Bodhi’s eyes look like jewels.
A mom and three young girls were in the lobby and Bodhi really wanted to go over there to say hi. I think he really likes kids because they are right at his level. It’s really cool to see people get all excited when they see Bohdi coming. He gets excited too and his tail is always wagging.
A seven-year-old boy in a waiting room looked at Bodhi’s nametag and said “Dr. Bodhi!”
Other Little Interactions
A woman in the waiting room said she was waiting all day to see a dog. She said she really lucked out when she found out that Bodhi is here twice a month and she just happened to be here at the same time.
Nurses in a back office are always especially grateful to see Bohdi. They seem like they have a stressful job with lots of monitors beeping at them, and I can tell they are so glad we came back to see them. They want Bodhi to stay with them all day!
Another group of nurses have an office with monitors to watch patient rooms. They said one woman would really enjoy Bodhi’s company and they thought her face would really light up when she saw him. We went across the hall and they were right, her face lit up! She really enjoyed his visit. The nurses in the monitor room told us they were watching and saw how much she lit up.
Priceless.
Comforting Families
Bodhi starts working in the parking lot sometimes. We came across a family gathered outside. The adult kids all petted Bodhi and remarked on how calm he was. Then one of them asked her mom, who was standing off the side, to pet Bodhi. She did, and was crying into his fur. When she said “my son loved dogs” I knew she just lost her son and I started crying too.
It was the most emotional I’ve gotten since volunteering here.
A multi-generation family was in the ICU waiting room, including four kids, and they all loved, loved, loved Bodhi. It was so great to see their huge smiles. Even the old grandfather enjoyed him, and I think Bodhi’s visit made a difference to ease their pain for a little while.
On our way out of the hospital, Bodhi stopped to see a woman and her husband in the lobby. They seemed very anxious and in a lot of stress. Bodhi hung out with them for quite a while. They were very thankful and the woman said “I even stopped pacing for a minute to pet him!”
My Favorite Quote:
“You brought me a lot of happiness today.
And Bodhi, you bring me happiness every day.