Pet Hug Fund™ | Stories | Colonel and Susan

Colonel and Susan

Susan says of Colonel, “He knows his job. When he puts on his red scarf he is ready to work and his demeanor changes. He is so intuitive and always knows what a person needs. Every time we start in a new place, he figures out quickly how to make a difference and touch lives. He takes over and makes magic.

Colonel helped Ashley smile during the hard work of therapy as she recovered from burns.

“I was fortunate to watch when he worked with 9-year-old Ashley in the burn unit; I saw him comfort her when she was undergoing her therapy and was in extreme pain. He would gently put his paw on her hand. We watched her reach her goal of walking for the first time, taking Colonel around the unit.

I watched his brain-injured client speak for the first time, saying ‘Come on, boy,’ and of course Colonel obliged. I’ve watched him when he is helping his clients work on strength and balance by playing tug. He always knows just how hard to pull, based on how strong or weak his client is.

He will keep up retrieving forever, whether the ball just trickles slightly or flies down the hall. Colonel happily brings it back as many times as they want. I’ve watched him comfort those who are sad. He stays close and quiet while the tears flow.

The team helps a young man who is just graduating from his wheelchair. Colonel loves to ride in wheelchairs, a “turnaround” or role-reversal activity that not only charms many of his clients, but also has emotional and psychological therapeutic benefits for them.

“Children love him. We have worked with three girls at Primary Children’s Residential Treatment Center. Each one has had different needs, but Colonel knows how to work his way into each heart. Our first client had trouble forming relationships, and when we first met she preferred to talk to a lamp or a computer rather than Colonel. But Colonel, master that he is, won her over. They spent hours playing. She would throw his ball and then say, ‘Squeak it!’ and he would comply, every time, making her laugh and laugh. When she left, she kissed Colonel on the head and told him, “I love you”—she had come a long way from talking to a lamp!

“One of Colonel’s clients said, right in front of his speech, physical and occupational therapists, ‘Colonel is the best therapist that works at this hospital!’ His therapists laughed appreciatively! And the husband of one client told me, after watching her session, ‘Colonel should be promoted to Five-Star General!’

“I’ve seen Colonel give love to every human being he comes in contact with. It doesn’t matter if they are sick and hooked to machines and tubes. He finds a way to get as close as he can and shows his love and concern.