Remembering Dakota, the Therapy Dog

On a hot Saturday afternoon in August, I followed Cathy and Dakota into a local hospital for a pet therapy visit in the rehab department. What followed in the next hour and a half took me across a spectrum of emotions as I watched Dakota interact with patients.

Dakota jumped on a table and lay down. The therapists rolled Mattie and Alma in for a visit. Mattie was recovering from a stroke and had little use of her hands and arms. She used her body to pet Dakota and little by little, she leaned forward to give Dakota a kiss. Although her speech was slurred, her inflections and squeals showed her delight with Dakota. When it was Alma’s turn, she hesitated. Years ago, a dog had bitten her, and she still struggled to overcome the fear that all dogs would bite. But very quickly, she was brushing Dakota while talking to Cathy. Dakota’s gentle demeanor had won her over.

Later, Mary, who was recovering from hip surgery, was brought in. She burst into tears as she touched Dakota, repeating over and over “I miss my Nicki.” As she buried her face in Dakota’s fur, her hands wandered over his body. The tears disappeared when she told us about the accident that broke her hip. During a thunderstorm, Mary fell in her driveway. As soon as she fell, Nicki, her two-year old Cocker Spaniel, lay down beside her, and both she and the dog lay in pouring rain for several hours…