An old man is lying in a bed at the local VA hospital. He hears a knock and the door opens to reveal a woman standing with a dog beside her. She asks if they can come in. He doesn’t answer.  She looks down at the dog and winks at him. “Let’s go in”, she says.  The dog wags his tail and puts his paws on the bed beside the man’s hand. The old man turns and hugs the dog, putting his arm around his shoulder. He keeps it there for a long time. She notices that tears are running down his face. He says: “I never thought I would ever see a dog again. Thank you.”

Paula Kielich had a successful career and an MBA to boot, but she wasn’t happy. One day, getting off a train,a thought came into her mind of an old lady holding a dog. Questions came up for her. What do people do when they can’t take their animals? Do they ever see animals again? Is anybody doing any of this work?

The SPCA used to take some of their animals out to visit people in nursing homes but their budgets were already stretched and volunteers were getting scarce. They were just discontinuing their program when Paula called them to inquire whether she could take some of their dogs to visit people who would benefit from the love and friendship that dogs offer. Both would benefit. They were thrilled and that was the beginning of Pals for Life.

Now with 180 volunteers, Pals for Life makes over 700 visits per year to older people who are in nursing homes, to children in schools with reading and stuttering problems and even to colleges during final exams for stress reduction. And, the animals who visit are not limited to dogs. They have rabbits, a turtle named Turbo, a duck (no longer in this world) named Miss Peabody and even a draft horse.

Volunteers must pass a test with their animals to make sure they are appropriately behaved for the people they visit. Good manners, after all, are essential. These dogs provide a kind of unconditional love that’s hard to find anywhere else. They provide an amazing service in our community.

For more information please see: www.palsforlife.org