Nelli loves the hospital. Before every visit, she gets her nails painted and puts on sparkly pink earrings. As she walks down the halls at West Valley Hospital in Goodyear, everybody greets Nelli by name.
The 3-year-old Australian Shepherd is part of the Therapy Paws program founded by her owner, Goodyear resident Jean Reynolds. The pair started visiting the hospital on Sept. 11 and has since recruited four other teams.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, a team goes from room to room asking if patients would like a visit from a therapy dog. While some are too tired, most people light up when they see the furry friends.
Before going to the hospital, Nelli is bathed and has her teeth brushed and nails painted. She also puts on her therapy vest and special hospital identification card.
"She gets all dressed up to come here," Reynolds said. "It makes people smile, and that's the whole point."
"She's famous around here," said Karen Bei, administrative director of operations at the hospital. "When we're doing these rounds, you kind of forget that you're in the hospital."
Tonopah resident Carolyn Davis, 53, was only in the hospital for a day and said she didn't expect to see a dog at her door.
"That's a wonderful idea, because there are so many people in the hospital who seem so sad," Davis said as Nelli snuggled in next to her.
Pet therapy has been shown to lower blood pressure, heart rate and cardiovascular risks, Reynolds said. It also reduces anxiety, isolation and fear of procedures.
"It's a way to make the patients feel better," Bei said. "We've found that it makes them smile and sometimes it brings a tear to their eye because a lot of them have a dog at home. It's definitely an outreach to patients and makes it not such a sterile environment."
Nelli is also learning tricks to entertain children in the waiting areas. Right now, her favorite is giving hugs, Reynolds said.
"She doesn't usually walk by anybody; Nelli is a social butterfly," she said.
The five Therapy Paw members and their pets regularly visit six facilities in the West Valley. All are registered pet partner teams and have passed the skills and aptitude test required by the Delta Society, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to improving human health through service and therapy animals.
"They're not looking for military dogs that are extremely obedient, they want dogs that love people," Reynolds said.
To learn more about Therapy Paws and how you and your dog can become a registered team, contact Reynolds at 623-455-8883.
"It's just my passion; I love it," she said.
Emily McCann can be reached by e-mail
at emccann@westvalleyview.com.
