Pat Skovgard, resident at Prairie Hills, wasn’t participating in activities or leaving her apartment, too often. Other residents had found it difficult to make friends with her and the staff at the Des Moines assisted living community were challenged to figure out a solution.
The Honey came along and sweetened up Skovgard’s mood.
“When she is around Honey, her mood completely turns,” said Melonie Rumbaugh, activities director at Prairie Hills at Des Moines. Rumbaugh understands the positive effect pets have on seniors, which is why she took great care when she selected Honey from the Humane Society seven years ago.
While Skovgard’s experience with Honey is just one of many examples of successful “therapy dog” encounters at the community, it is one of the more profound examples.
“Pat was a cat lover, but when she saw Honey and I told her Honey’s story, she just really enjoyed being around her. Honey doesn’t need a leash, because she stays with me. But, I would put her on a leash, so Pat could lead her around. It was something that made Pat feel more important,” said Rumbaugh.
Not only has Honey’s presence changed Skovgard’s mood, it’s contributed to the senior venturing out of her apartment more, participating in activities and generally becoming more pleasant toward other residents.
It’s fair to say, Skovgard has become very attached to Honey.
“Pat is always wanting Honey to come in her apartment with her. When we have activities, Pat comes out and sits with her. It’s like she is the mother. When I don’t bring Honey with me, Pat asks about her,” said Rumbaugh. “Before, Pat wouldn’t come out of her apartment,” she added.
Rumbaugh’s vision of enlisting a therapy dog at Prairie Hills began with a search at the local Humane Society for an older dog who would she could take to work with the hope of simply making residents smile.
When Rumbaugh found the blonde Cocker Spaniel, who had been discovered wandering the side of the road, she was drawn toward her. Honey had been badly beaten and abused, and after visiting her at the Humane Society five times, Rumbaugh was convinced it would be the right decision to bring the dog home.
“She was such a bag of bones; you could even see the bones in her head. I wasn’t looking for a purebred, just a dog that could be friendly with everyone. It took me a long time to get her, because the dog I chose needed to be safe for the residents,” said Rumbaugh. “Honey never growled or snarled when we were at the Humane Society. That was the thing that finally got me to take her.” she added.
From the beginning, Honey was good with children and elderly people. She never growled, snarled or tried to bite. But, because of the abuse she had sustained, Honey had fears she had to overcome. In the beginning she didn’t want to interact with people.
“Now, you would never know she was an abused dog. You wouldn’t know that when I first got her she wouldn’t look at anybody in the face. She has just flourished,” said Rumbaugh. “The residents have opened up their doors and their hearts to let me bring her in. She doesn’t come with me every day. When she does come, she doesn’t sit still. She runs from one person to the other. You can just imagine she is saying, ‘So many people to see and so little time.’ It is amazing,” she added.
Honey makes their hearts smile
Since many of the residents at the community have had a dog at some 
point in their past, Honey’s visits tend to bring positive memories and plenty of smiles. And even those residents who have not been around dogs very often have a positive reaction to having Honey around.
“They want to pet her and they watch her. When she goes into a room where they are at, it is exactly like the room just got ten shades lighter and the sun is shining. That is what is important to me, that I can reach every person in this building every day and if I have Honey here, she will probably see every single person who lives here as well as the staff,” said Rumbaugh.
No formal training needed
Although Honey has not had formal training as a therapy dog, her presence is definitely therapeutic for the residents at Prairie Hills.
Rumbaugh marks the activities calendar with “Honey Visits” for when she brings her dog to the assisted living community. On those days, she takes Honey room-to-room to visit residents who are sick, or for those who are spending more time in their apartments.
“I really like to take Honey to visit people who don’t come out of their apartments or who aren’t feeling well. I just know from talking with them that they are animal lovers. So, we make the effort and we go visit them. To go in and put a smile on their face is the biggest thing for us. It uplifts their day,” said Rumbaugh.
The staff at Prairie Hills enjoys Honey also. They will play ball with her so the residents can watch her play. They encourage the residents to interact with her. Honey brings joy to the residents, the staff and visitors.
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