JJ, a hospice therapy dog, is receiving praises online after a video that showed her caring for an old patient went viral this week.
JJ, a golden retriever, has her own Facebook page, where she shares updates, photos and videos. In a video originally posted on February 24, 2014 and was reposted on Tuesday,Aug.18, the four-year old dog was shown with a lady described as somebody who only gets to see very few visitors. The lady cannot also see and does not often wake up but appeared to enjoy having her hands on the dog's fur.
"She was very calm during my visit. We were listening to Yeats, by the way. I was very insistent to have her touch me, more so than usual," the video's description reads. "I sure can be silly at times, but I also know when to be quiet and present." Her caregivers were very appreciative when they saw this video.
In a repost of the video, JJ explained what a bed visit entailed saying that therapy dogs like her typically do this to keep somebody company, help decrease agitation while the patient's medications are taking effect, and to calm the patient. People who saw the video commended other therapy dogs that bring comfort and joy to sick people.
"This is so sweet," reads one of the comments on the dog's Facebook page. "My mini-dachshund is a therapy dog and we sometimes see miracles when we do visits. It is so wonderful how an animal can touch the hearts of those who need them."
"Dogs can sense when you are sick they can sense when you are in pain by the tone of your voice and by your movement. They can be so gentle and playful," another commenter wrote.
JJ says she never do bed visits without "the bossy one", who is actually her handler, Tracy Calhoun, a registered nurse. Calhoun and JJ works together at the Samaritan Evergreen Hospice House in Oregon, where JJ works as the primary Hospice House therapy dog.
JJ is a certified therapy dog since she was one year old. She also works with the HOPE Animal Assisted Crisis Response, which provides comfort and encouragement to individuals affected by disasters and other crises through animal-assisted support.
The video has already been shared more than 200,000 times making JJ an animal celebrity online. Her followers on Facebook jumped to 7,000 from 1,800 in just two days and now numbers over 40,000.
I often do bed visits, though never without The Bossy One. This is a lady who has very few people to visit her. She cannot see and often does not wake up, but she did like having her hand on my fur. She was very calm during my visit. We were listening to Yeats, by the way. I was very insistent to have her touch me, more so than usual. We fell asleep later with her hand splayed on my head, both of us snoring (but no proof of that!) I sure can be silly at times, but I also know when to be quiet and present. Her caregivers were very appreciative when they saw this video.
Posted by JJ, Hospice Therapy Dog on Sunday, February 23, 2014
