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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2017
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Katherine Lacaze/For The Daily Astorian
Finn, a 6-year-old Golden Retriever who provides pet therapy through Providence Seaside Hospital’s Angel on a Leash program, greets (from left) registrars Sarah Kisel,
Kellie Walsh and Helen Moore during a visit to the hospital Aug. 30. He is accompanied by his volunteer handler, Shari Moynihan.
CANINE CAREGIVERS
‘ANGELS ON A LEASH’ THERAPY DOGS BRING SUPPORT
TO PATIENTS AT NORTH COAST PROVIDENCE FACILITIES
Moynihan, who started volunteering with the program
a few months ago because “you get to a certain age where
you need to feel needed,” confi rmed the salubrious effect
Finn has on people at the hospital and clinics who start
opening up after having contact with him. The pair spends
a majority of their time listening rather than talking.
“It does my heart good to see them so happy to see
him,” she said.
By KATHERINE LACAZE
For EO Media Group
W
hen Finn, a 6-year-old Golden Retriever, begins
his shift at Providence Seaside Hospital, sport-
ing his leash and offi cial badge, he has a single
purpose: to soothe and support patients, their families and
caregivers.
“He is just there to make you smile,” his owner and
handler, Shari Moynihan, said.
Finn has a particularly exuberant personality —
“because he’s so friendly and people-oriented,” Moynihan
explained — so he only visits humans in waiting rooms
and around reception desks at the Providence Rehabilita-
tion Services center in Gearhart and the hospital and clin-
ics in Seaside.
Generally, though, Providence’s Angel on a Leash
therapy dogs can conduct visits in the main lobby, chapel,
waiting rooms and designated patient rooms at all facili-
ties, including the Providence ElderPlace, the Providence
North Coast Clinic in Cannon Beach and the Providence
Heart Clinic in Astoria.
“Basically, every place Providence is at on the North
Coast has access to our pet therapy program,” said Cher-
ilyn Frei, the director of mission integration and spiritual
care, who launched the program in Seaside in the fall of
2016.
Pet therapy on the coast
Frei and her husband, David, are pioneers in pet ther-
apy, having worked in the fi eld since they were volunteers
at a Providence facility in Seattle in 1998.
“We immediately saw the magical and spiritual con-
nection people have to their pets that helps facilitate the
healing process,” Frei said, adding that pets are “a bridge
to communication.”
The couple moved around during the past two decades.
Within every hospital or clinic setting where Frei worked
as a chaplain, she launched a new program, with her hus-
band serving as the fi rst volunteer along with their own
dogs. They currently have an 8-year-old Brittany named
Grace and a 10-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
named Angel, who is nearing the end of her tenure as an
active therapy dog.
When the Freis moved to Seaside last year, they
brought the program template, as well as the title, and inte-
grated it into Providence’s North Coast services. The hos-
pital works with Pet Partners, a nonprofi t therapy animal
registry group, to coordinate its volunteer handlers and
their dogs.
Angel on a Leash now has six active teams from the
North Coast area, with two pending. Each team must
include at least one handler and one dog, but other com-
binations — such as two handlers per dog or several dogs
per handler — are possible.
The right fi t
Finn greets Dave Lene, of Warrenton, in a waiting
room at the Seaside facility. The therapy dogs help
strengthen and support the experience of patients
and their families during their time in Providence fa-
cilities along the North Coast.
Before serving, potential volunteers and their dogs must
complete Pet Partners’ handler course and a team evalua-
tion, undergo a professional screening, and perform an ini-
tial visit where they are shadowed by staff. Teams can take
anywhere from one to six months to get registered.
To continue volunteering, teams must maintain current
registration and be in good standing with Pet Partners. The
program is also monitored by annual patient, family and
caregiver satisfaction surveys.
‘Bringer of hope’
Providence’s mission is to “reveal God’s love for all,
especially the poor and vulnerable, through our compas-
sionate service,” and Frei perceives the dogs and their han-
dlers as “the spokespeople” for that mission. Therapy dogs
emphasize care of the whole person by affi rming their
emotional, spiritual and physical connection to animals
and its interconnectedness to health and healing.
“A dog is a great conduit of God’s love in our commu-
nity,” she said, adding each one is “a caregiver in their own
right, a bringer of hope and wellness and joy.”
While pet therapy is generally associated with patients
and their loved ones, it is also helpful for caregivers,
whose daily work can produce stress and tension, said
Alana Kujala, the manager of community partnerships.
Moynihan will look for opportunities to interact with staff
while volunteering.
One of the program’s main priorities is to ensure the
dogs are enjoying themselves. Providing comfort and con-
nection to humans in clinical settings requires abundant
focus and control of their natural instincts. They must
behave a certain way and know how to respond in the mid-
dle of a traumatic situation.
“The dynamic can change very quickly, because it’s a
hospital,” Kujala said.
For that reason, most sessions last from half an hour to
an hour, and handlers must be aware of their dog’s stress
signals.
“You want to keep it fun for them so they look forward
to coming back,” Frei said.
Certain dogs thrive in the pet therapy program because
of their natural instinct and intuition. A breeder or owner
often can tell after puppies are whelped which ones pos-
sess the personality to thrive as a therapeutic companion,
Frei said. Training and help from the handler are only used
to refi ne the dog’s innate response.
Some teams will begin the training and registration
process but not complete it when they realize the dog isn’t
the right fi t. Pet Partners’ registration process is intention-
ally rigorous; there are many health and safety issues to
consider when conducting a pet therapy program in a hos-
pital-like setting.
Patients can schedule visits from therapy dogs, and
handlers can choose which days to volunteer. Sometimes
they will walk around the facility and see if anyone would
like the service, always asking permission before entering
a space, Frei said.
“Patients should have a choice to reject a service,” she
said, adding “to be able to say ‘no’ is empowering.”
Individuals with a passion for pet therapy need not
have their own dog to volunteer with the Angel on a Leash
program.
To learn more about volunteering with Angel on a
Leash or any other Providence program, contact Volun-
teer Coordinator Mark Squire at 503-717-7249 or Mark.
Squire@providence.org.