Helen Woodward Animal Center Orphan Dogs and Cats and Therapy Pets Spread Love and Licks to Sharp Memorial Hospital Staff this Valentine’s Day
Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. (Feb. 13, 2023) – There is nothing to make a heart swoon quite the way the soft snuggle of a furry friend can, and this Tuesday, Valentine’s Day, Helen Woodward Animal Center’s orphan pets and therapy animals are planning to deliver some extra love to the Sharp HealthCare ICU and emergency room medical staff. Volunteers from the Center’s Pet Encounter Therapy (PET) program will head to Sharp Memorial Hospital for a 10:00 a.m. visit, where nurses and doctors will get the chance to relieve some stress by looking into the faces of fuzzy therapy cupids, delivering paper valentines created by the Center’s orphan dogs and cats, complete with actual PAWtographs. The media is invited to capture the heart-happy healing power of animals in action on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023 between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. at Sharp Memorial Hospital.
(Sharp HealthCare staff will meet Helen Woodward Animal Center PET animals delivering valentines created by the Center’s orphan pets.)
Helen Woodward Animal Center’s Pet Encounter Therapy is, in essence, “cuddle therapy.” The program normally brings the unconditional love and tactile benefits of animals to patients inside skilled nursing facilities, children’s shelters, hospitals, psychiatric units and many more. The basis of the important therapy stems from studies showing that holding and caressing an animal provides benefits such as relaxation, lower blood pressure, improved long- and short-term memory, and sensory stimuli.
In response to the COVID pandemic, PET animals began providing that invaluable cuddle therapy to local healthcare heroes and the response was overwhelming. High stress and emotional job fatigue are regular parts of the day for hospital staff, and the incomparable compassion found in the eyes of a furry friend was the perfect tonic. With this in mind, Helen Woodward’s Pet Encounter Therapy Manage Robin Cohen scheduled the next visit for Valentine’s Day.
“Not only are these workers away from their loved ones but they are experiencing high, high levels of stress and dealing with anxious individuals,” explained Cohen. “It can be easy to forget that Valentine’s Day is being celebrated. We’re looking forward to seeing these amazing nurses and doctors finally take a deep breath, sit down and run their fingers through the fur of our therapy animals. We know there will be lots of smiles when they open up a personalized valentine from one of our orphan dogs and cats just looking to send some love.”
To add an extra bit of sweetness, the Center’s orphan pups and kittens put some purrsonal and furever affection into homemade valentines to be delivered by their therapeutic friends. The holiday cards feature their adorable faces and are signed with their loving paw-prints, reminding receivers that a living valentine waits at your local shelter, ready to provide love that will last long past the season and on for a lifetime.