Zoie is a tall, beautiful blond and she brings smiles to the faces of everyone she visits, according to the five year old Afghan hound’s owner, Jil Jones of Pace. Zoie is a therapy dog, not to be confused with a service animal, and she and Jones mainly visit senior facilities through the nonprofit organization Pet Partners ®.
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For three years, Jones said she and Zoie have regularly visited Santa Rosa Health & Rehabilitation Center (SRHRC) and Victorian Manor, and have provided substitute work in other centers. A nursing home can be a noisy place for an animal, but Jones said Zoie takes it in stride. No matter where she goes, Jones said everyone is happy to see the dog. “I bring a brush and they brush her. People with no mobility in their hands, they love to brush her.”
Greg Brock, regional director of operations for Summit Care, and Santa Rosa Rehab’s temporary administrator said Zoie is an important part of the facility’s activities program, providing visual and tactile stimulation to the residents. He said Zoie provides a “calming effect.”
“A number of the elderly population are alone and animals are their ultimate companion,” he said.
Before becoming a therapy dog, Jones said Zoie had to attend obedience school and learn lessons geared toward navigating nursing homes, such as how to stand next to wheelchairs and walkers to keep a resident from falling and avoiding eating anything from the floor, all for her licensing.
Jones said Zoie’s ability to learn what she has is unique for Afghan hounds. “She’s got her title in beginner novice obedience,” Jones said. “It’s quite rare for a dog to have this title,” she said. Jones described the breed as aloof, large couch potatoes.
“They’re not the easiest to train. They will do anything as long as they think it’s their idea. They’re like a cat. You have to make it a big game,” she said.
Some residents, Jones said, are fearful of the large animal until they see others petting Zoie, then they want to join in. She said some residents ask to be woken up when Zoie comes just to visit with her before going back to sleep. Jones described a time at a dog event in Milton where she met a family whose grandmother had passed away. In conversation she discovered the mother constantly talked about Zoie with her family and Jones had no idea.
Jones said while many people may think their pets would be good for therapy work, she said not all are suitable with the amount of sounds, smells, and people they have to face. Jones said she’s been working with Pet Partners ® for three years.
“We’re under insurance and we have to be reevaluated every two years.
Zoie isn’t the only animal to visit the center. Brock said some employees bring their own pets for pet therapy. He said, “We have Zoie. Poodles visit. Our marketing director brings her lab. We enjoy animals.” He said some residents have adopted cats hanging around SRHRC. Residents also keep a close eye on when the bird feeders need fresh food as well.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Four-legged friend provides therapy to seniors