Therapy Dog Visits The Windows Of Texas Senior Center To Cheer Up Residents Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

Mar 19, 2020 by apost team

Tonka the great dane and his owner made stops outside senior citizens’ windows this week in an effort to raise the spirits of Cedar Pointe Health and Wellness Suites residents in Texas during the ongoing outbreak.

Tonka, who may be more teddy bear than dog, is known in the Cedar Pointe, Texas community for making stops at senior centers to cheer residents up. According to UNILAD, he’s even certified to be a therapy dog with The Dog Alliance, a non-profit that provides service dogs to folks in need.

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Research has consistently shown that contact with animals, especially dogs, can fulfill our need for social recognition, our need to form social bonds, according to The Guardian. The article also specifically makes the point that during these trying times “send me dogs and cats” has become a common refrain on social media, pointing to humans’ deep attachment to animals. That’s why Tonka’s role as a therapy dog is so important for retirement home residents who might feel more isolated than the average person.

And with retirement homes vastly restricting visitor access during the outbreak — especially given that older individuals are most vulnerable to the virus — Tonka and his handler Courtney Leigh couldn’t visit his friends at Cedar Pointe Health and Wellness Suites. In other words, the residents are now even more isolated than normal. Tonka and his owner had to improvise.

“We learned that with the recent events all therapy visits will be discontinued for safety purposes, of course, and containment,” Leigh told KXAN. “We really missed our visits, and I thought, what can I do personally, on my own, to try and continue some of the feelgood that this wonderful dog gives to everyone?” 

Without taking any risks, the positive duo have been stopping by their windows to great residents’ and brighten their days with a homemade sign that reads “We miss you.” In a greeting of his own, Tonka pawed some residents’ windows. The grateful residents replied and expressed their gratitude with homemade signs, too. One sign decorated with a heart read: “Tonka, I miss you.”

“We’re so excited to be able to just make them smile today,” Leigh said.

The ban on all non-essential nursing home visits came after a Texas Health and Human Services announcement on Sunday, according to the Fort-Worth Star Telegram.

“We understand how difficult these new restrictions will be for residents and their families and loved ones,” said David Kostroun, Health and Human Services deputy executive commissioner for Regulatory Services. “First and foremost, we must all share the goal of protecting the people who are proving to be most vulnerable to this new virus.”

What do you think about the use of therapy animals in times of distress? Let us know what you think, and pass Tonka’s heartwarming story on to friends and family.