Halloween is a season filled with pumpkins, candy, and costumes. While many of us get wrapped up in the excitement of this spooky holiday, there are furry heroes out there who are making a real difference in people's lives. These heroes are therapy pets who, with wagging tails and furry paws, bring comfort, joy, and smiles to those in need. What makes their mission extra special during Halloween is that they don adorable costumes, adding a touch of whimsy to their noble work. In this blog post, we introduce you to some real Halloween heroes: therapy pets in costume, and the profound positive impact they have on people in hospitals, nursing homes, and schools.
Therapy Dogs Dress Camden, New Jersey
In Camden, New Jersey, a heartwarming and adorable Halloween celebration took place at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, and the stars of the show were not the typical trick-or-treaters but rather furry, four-legged heroes. Therapy dogs, dressed up in charming Halloween costumes, made a special visit to the hospital, bringing joy and comfort to patients and staff alike. From nurses to priests, these canine companions demonstrated the profound impact that the simple act of dressing up can have on the human spirit.
The dogs brought smiles to hospital patients, visitors and the staff during the Halloween celebration. The costume-clad therapy dogs are from the Tri-State K-9 Crisis Response Team.
AdventHealth’s Volunteer Pet Therapy Program
Embracing the spirit of the season, pet therapy volunteers dressed their specialty-trained dogs in Halloween costumes for tail-wagging trick-or-treating. The costume-clad canines took to hospital hallways at AdventHealth for Children in Orlando to visit pediatric patients and healthcare team members.
The pet therapy dogs dressed as a leprechaun, a pirate, R2-D2 (alongside his trainer dressed as Princess Leia) and Wonder Woman.
Many people impacted by emotional stress find animals to be calming. This includes those impacted by depression, PTSD, schizophrenia and other conditions. Plus, doctors, therapists and other professionals attest that the physical interaction with therapy pets likewise benefits those impacted by stroke, traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, amputations, burns and other conditions that require both physical and emotional rehabilitation.
Halloween Pet Parade in St. Mary’s
Some four-legged witches, pumpkins, hotdogs and more visited Elk Haven Nursing Home and Silver Creek Terrace residents, making their Halloween a little more special.
A familiar furry face, a Golden Retriever and certified therapy dog who is around 10 years old named Maddie, and new therapy pup in-training Chloe, also attended the pet parade with their handlers
Therapy dogs bring joy to residents of Hernando nursing homes
Dixie and Jakie don't fit the therapy dog stereotype. Dogs that snuggle in one's lap they are not.
Dixie, a Doberman pinscher, and Jakie, an Australian cattle dog mix, weigh 98 pounds and 58 pounds, respectively. They pop eyes with their size, putting rare smiles on elderly faces at the 10 nursing homes they visit each month, acting out their latest tricks.
The dogs, billed as Two Courteous Canines on their Hernando County show circuit, seem to be grinning themselves as they don whimsically seasonal costumes, perform their routines and, as asides, lap cheeks or rest a chin in beckoning hands.
Halloween may be a time for costumes and candy, but it's also a time for real heroes to shine. Therapy pets who don Halloween costumes to bring comfort and joy to those in hospitals, nursing homes, and schools are true Halloween heroes. They demonstrate that love and compassion know no boundaries and that a touch of whimsy can make even the most challenging situations a bit brighter.
As you prepare for your own Halloween festivities, take a moment to appreciate and support the therapy pets in your community. These four-legged heroes remind us that, amidst the spookiness of the season, there's room for smiles, laughter, and love.