Penny's special paw print autograph at Border's bookstore in San Antonio
|
From Penny's induction into Texas Animal Hall of Fame. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Foundation To Aid
Ailing Pets
Web
Posted: 08/20/2006 12:13 PM CDT
Rose Mary Budge
Express-News
Patsy Swendson and her "healing angel," Penny, a golden
retriever, believe therapy/service/emotional support dogs
shouldn't be denied medical treatment because of financial
restraints. For that reason, they've established the Penny's
From Heaven Foundation to assist pets needing high-cost
veterinary care.
The new program was announced last week during a launch
party for Swendson's book, "Penny's From Heaven: Stories of
Healing" (LangMarc Publishing, $18.95). The event was held
at HealthSouth Rehabilitation Institute of San Antonio,
where Penny and her sidekick Swendson have done some of
their most memorable therapy work. Among those attending
were members of the medical staff and many of the patients
who've benefited from the dog's dedication and devotion to
her job.
Penny also has served as a personal example to those
struggling to overcome debilitating illness or injury.
Diagnosed with cancer a while ago, she went through surgery
and rehabilitation — and has made a great comeback. Her
story will be in bookstores in October.
"Penny has helped to heal bodies and hearts, and through the
Penny's From Heaven Foundation, we hope to assist other
therapy dogs involved in the same mission," Swendson says.
"We want to help animals that help people."
Donations to the foundation will be accepted.
Call 210-493-5101 or 210-273-6471 for details.
KSAT Channel 12
News
San Antonio, TX
Click
HERE to see a short
video of Penny on the news.
S.A. Rehab Patients
Get a
Penny From 'Heaven'
By Rose Mary Budge, San Antonio
Express News Staff Writer, March 7, 2005
Photos by Billy Calzada/Staff
Penny, a therapy dog at HealthSouth Rehabilitation
Institute of San Antonio, TX, receives attention at a
birthday party for her at the hospital.
They say angels come in many guises and that's certainly true at Health-South
Rehabilitation Institute of San Antonio where a golden-haired angel wears a leash and pads
around on four paws.
Penny, the golden retriever, owned by San Antonian Patsy Swendson, is heaven-sent as far
as RIOSA is concerned — or to put it another way, the therapy pet is just what the
doctor ordered. And to say thanks, personnel tossed a party recently in honor of the pup's
eighth birthday: The rec room was decorated with colorful streamers and the ovens in the
hospital kitchen were loaded with baking dog biscuits — concocted by patients from a
rehab patient's recipe. For a little while tough treatment regimens were forgotten as
family members and guests dropped by to offer congratulations on the dog's natal day and
to meet the furry angel who works miracles at the hospital once a week.
Every Friday the golden retriever arrives at 9:30 a.m. sharp, eager to minister to the
sick and injured. She tugs at her leash as if to say there's no time to waste. Many are
waiting — patients who are struggling to put their lives and bodies back together
— and it's this pet's calling to motivate muscles, speed recovery and ease the pain.
So, Penny's hospital rounds begin. The dog cozies up to wheelchairs and puts her head in
laps, encouraging patients to stroke or brush her glossy fur. When movement is impossible
but a patient looks with longing eyes, Penny has the prescription. She gets up on the
elevated mats in the gym where most rehab therapy takes place and quietly lies by the
person's side, dispensing doses of comforting warmth and canine compassion.
Dora Guerra takes a moment
from physical therapy at RIOSA to pet Penny, a therapy dog,
as owner Patsy Swendson holds Penny's leash.
"I marvel at her ability to relate to the patients and sense their needs," says
Swendson, who works in tandem with her dog during therapy sessions. "Often
I don't
give any commands at all but just let her go to it and do her magic."
Penny is a nationally certified therapy pet with the Skeeter Foundation, a nonprofit
organization, which support programs that endorse the "Prescribe Pets Not Pills"
philosophy; For a little more than a year, the golden retriever has been helping RIOSA
patients attempting to recover from debilitating accidents and illnesses. She also makes
life less stressful for the staff, says Susan Hearn, a therapeutic recreation specialist
at the hospital.
"I can't tell you how much we look forward to her visits," says Hearn. "The
staff will tell me, 'Don't you dare let Penny go home without stopping by to say hello,'
They love her; call her the bright spot in the day and respect the way she can make rehab
tasks easier."
The doggy birthday party was their way of paying tribute to the golden retriever who
brings so much joy into the austere medical atmosphere, Preparations began with a
dog-biscuit baking session in the facility's kitchen — a fun activity that
emphasized the daily task of cooking as therapy; When the furry guest of honor arrived,
everyone sang "Happy Birthday" and doggy bags of treats were passed around.
"The party was great and so are Penny's regular weekly visits," says physical
therapist Carole Harrison, who took leftover biscuits home to her yellow Lab, Bo.
"Many of our patients have pets of their own and have missed them while undergoing
treatment. Penny helps to fill the void and makes the whole rehab process less
intimidating."
Though popular with patients of. all ages, Penny is an especially big hit with children in
the pediatric gym. "I've seen kids open up to this dog when they wouldn't respond to
anyone else," Hearn says. "We say to a child, 'Look how well Penny sits, Can you
try sitting, too?' It gives youngsters, who can be frightened in a hospital setting,
something warm and fuzzy as a role model."
According to Hearn, pet therapy has been part of the RIOSA regimen for several years. The
hospital also has installed a large fish tank, and there's a butterfly garden on the
grounds. She believes such touches are healing to the spirit — and this strongly
influences bodily strength. It's a philosophy shared by a growing number of medical
institutions.
Swendson, a firm believer in "animal magic," says she has seen patients make
supreme efforts to reach out partially paralyzed arms to Penny. She has watched them raise
ravaged limbs to toss balls to the dog, She has seen severely brain-injured individuals'
locked in silence sense something familiar when their hands are placed on the golden
retriever's soft fur.
Barbara Hamilton, a physical therapy patient at RIOSA,
enjoys some quite moments with Penny, a nationally certified
therapy pet who's been working at the hospital for more than
a year.
"I remember this cowboy who was at RIOSA," Swendson recalls. "He had been
thrown from a horse and suffered a very serious head injury and hadn't responded to
regular medical treatment. I put a bacon strip on the cowboy's thumb and told him to give
it to the dog. Nobody thought he could. I guess he tried and failed at least 10 times but
then he finally made it. She licked up the bacon, and he had the first rehab success since
his accident. There wasn't a dry eye in the room that day. I was so proud of the patient
and of my dog."
Swendson is especially proud of Penny because the dog overcame a setback. A few years ago
the golden retriever, who had been in training to become a guide dog for the blind, failed
her finals and didn't make the cut. A flapping plastic garbage bag spooked her during the
qualifying test. Deborah Baker, former director of the Southwest Guide Dog Foundation,
told Swendson the sad story and brought the disqualified animal over to say
"hello." It was love at first sight.
After adopting Penny, Swendson recognized therapy potential in the pet and took her
visiting at Methodist Hospital and the Warm Springs Rehabilitation System. About a year
ago, they concentrated their attention exclusively on RIOSA.
"Penny has the right outgoing personality for this kind of work," Swendson
points out, adding that perhaps the golden retriever was disqualified as a guide dog just
so she could become a healing angel. Amend that statement to read, "a healing
angel with four paws."
Therapy Dog Recovering From Own Cancer
Web Posted: 12/30/2005 12:00 AM
CST
Rose
Mary Budge
San Antonio Express-News
Dealing with
challenging situations is all in a day's work for Penny, a
dog who gives "furry therapy" to HealthSouth Rehabilitation
Institute patients battling back from paralysis and
debilitating diseases.
We told the
golden retriever's story in an article that appeared in S.
A. Life early last spring. Just a few months later, another
chapter unfolded as Penny began her own battle with cancer.
Patsy Swendson,
Penny's owner and therapy partner, knew her pet was getting
on and wasn't quite as perky as usual. But she wasn't
prepared for the devastating news she received when the pup
went to the grooming parlor.
"They found a
lump in her chest area and I was terrified," Swendson says.
Swendson rushed
her nearly 9-year-old dog to San Antonio veterinarian Dr.
Danny Earl, who diagnosed fibro sarcoma, an aggressive tumor
that's inclined to recur.
"I can't imagine
life without Penny," Swendson says. "I've grown to love her
so much. So have the patients at RIOSA, who always brighten
when she shows up at the door. Her visits mean a great deal
to them. She's truly a healing angel."
Sometimes just by
being there — sitting quietly by paralyzed people or
encouraging patients to exercise withered muscles by playing
fetch — the dog works wonders where traditional medicine
fails.
It's magic to
watch Penny in action and the way she seems to sense who
needs her, points out Eddie Aguilar, a RIOSA therapist.
Aguilar says the dog lightens the atmosphere for hospital
employees, too. Being around sickness and pain every day can
get depressing. And then the golden retriever pads in,
"works the room" and asks for a tummy rub.
"Penny makes us
smile," says Aguilar, who is convinced that pets can play an
important role in rehabilitation and recovery by passing out
a prescription of unconditional love and reminding patients
of their cats and dogs at home.
Fortunately, the
operation to remove Penny's tumor was so successful that
chemotherapy wasn't needed — but it did take her some time
to bounce back. Aguilar recalls how the dog showed up to do
therapy work even while recuperating, inspiring the hospital
staff with her determination.
Swendson is
writing a book about it. Titled "Penny's From Heaven," it
will focus on animal-assisted therapy and the life lessons
learned from a courageous pet.
And what's the
pet's prognosis for 2006?
Cancer-free and
busy training a blind pup named Gracie to follow in her paw
prints at RIOSA, Penny seems to have a new leash on life.
But Gracie has
big paws to fill.
|
