Posted on 02/03/2005 5:24:11 AM PST by Theodore R.
Hospice loses loyal friend
By Becky Orr rep6@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle
CHEYENNE - Many people in Cheyenne lost a good friend on Jan. 26 when Rollie died.
Rollie loved without any strings attached. He could lift the spirits of terminally ill people just by being around them.
Rollie was a therapy dog at United Medical Center Hospice. He died of lymphoma at the home he shared with Dave and Judy Stratton and their family.
The dog often accompanied Stratton, hospice children's program coordinator, as Stratton visited terminally ill patients at their homes. The two were best friends.
Stratton said the dog seemed to wait for him to get home on Jan. 26 before he died.
"I'll never forget it," Stratton said of Rollie's behavior. "He just went to the next place, whatever is going on there."
Rollie helped plenty of people during the last 6« years. Hospice patients would touch Rollie on the head, laugh with him and even take them on tours of their homes.
Rollie connected with the dying and their families, Stratton said. He even attended the funeral of one person at the request of the family.
The dog also connected with the hospital staff and school children. Employees walking down the halls at the medical center would often say, "There's Rollie and what's-his-name," Stratton said, as he referred to himself and smiled.
When Stratton and his family adopted the bundle of beagle, lab and springer spaniel mix from the Cheyenne Animal Shelter in 1992, they weren't initially aware of his keen ability to reach others.
But they soon found out. "He could sense a broken heart. That is what made him special," Stratton said.
He remembers how the dog affected one woman in hospice care. "You'd see the tension release from her face," he said, "and her eyes sparkled" when Rollie came around.
The dog also helped patients assigned to the hospital's acute rehab unit.
Once a week over the last couple of years, and and Stratton would drop by Goins Elementary as part of the Stepping Stones program to help youngsters deal with grief and loss.
He also helped in hospice presentations around town and with children's reading programs at the Laramie County Library. The dog likely touched more than 10,000 people during his tenure at UMC Hospice and logged more than 10,000 hours of service to the community, Stratton said.
The dog's presence at UMC was a bit cutting-edge when he started. But he became a familiar sight there.
"He was just like a hospital employee," said Dave Hall, director of community resources for UMC. "He had his own name badge," a photo ID that he wore on his collar.
Children in Ron Vigil's class at Goins Elementary visited with the dog for the last time on Jan. 21.
"It just makes me really said," Lyndsey Sharpe, a fourth-grader, said. "I loved Rollie."
Vigil said Rollie helped the children when the dog was well and when he was ill. "He taught more about how fragile life is and how you should appreciate every moment," Vigil said.
Some of the hospital staff had a memorial service on Tuesday.
Judging by the cards, gifts, and donations Stratton got, former hospice families and staff thought a lot of the dog. Stratton will use the memorial gifts to help with the continuing care of UMC Hospice.
One letter came from a woman who wrote that Rollie had been a comfort to her late husband.
Although Stratton deals with grief and loss in his job, he said he's having trouble adjusting to the loss of his friend.
"It's harder than I'm willing to admit," he said.
But he takes something away. "He taught me to live each day and enjoy it," Stratton said. "And when the day is done, let it go, because you don't have a promise on anything."
Ping!
TR -- Further proof of the "All Dogs Go To Heaven" philosophy. We had a Sealyham Terrier who was a therapy dog. It's a wonderful program. Pooch bump.
And the hospital let her up in the room when my mom was losing her fight with Cancer... The hospital asked if, since she was there, would I mind taking her next door where a young kid was also fighting a hard Cancer. She wasn't certified, and they didn't ask about paperwork... It seems on the Hospice floor, they aren't hung up on red tape rules. The kid loved the visit. And I loved having her there with me.
I have a dog who would be a perfect therapy dog. He is a Jack Russell Terrier and he is sweet and never saw a stranger. I would have trouble being around terminally ill people but he would do just fine.
Zulu is beautiful. I know you miss her. How long has she been gone?
Thank you.... She will have been gone two years this spring... she was with me 16 years... she went to college with me and was with me through a lot of life's changes!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
