A therapy poodle is helping patients at a Missouri hospital during their final days. A poodle named Louie Pancakes is making a significant difference in the lives of hospice patients at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City.”Dogs give off energy, we give and receive energy,” said Frank Riott, Louie Pancakes’ owner.Louie Pancakes is not just any poodle. He is a therapy pet working with St. Luke’s Hospital’s Dogs on Call program. “He had a great disposition, and he’s very chill, and I thought, why not share this dog with other people,” Riott said.The Dogs on Call program uses animals to help patients cope in facilities throughout the St. Luke’s network. Louie Pancakes visits St. Luke’s Hospice House every three weeks, bringing joy and comfort to patients and their families. “I think that what Louie does is he brings this joy and allows people to just for a moment to forget their illness, to forget their pain and just be right with the dog,” Riott said.Louie Pancakes was trained through KC Pets for Life, an organization that works with dogs, cats, and even rabbits to prepare them for therapy work. However, there are certain requirements for therapy animals and their owners. “Experience with death is important from the owner,” Community Events Coordinator for St. Luke’s Hospice Melissa Tinklepaugh said. “How they connect with people in general.”From rescue pup to grief counselor, Louie Pancakes is positively impacting the lives of those he meets.
A therapy poodle is helping patients at a Missouri hospital during their final days.
A poodle named Louie Pancakes is making a significant difference in the lives of hospice patients at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City.
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“Dogs give off energy, we give and receive energy,” said Frank Riott, Louie Pancakes’ owner.
Louie Pancakes is not just any poodle. He is a therapy pet working with St. Luke’s Hospital’s Dogs on Call program.
“He had a great disposition, and he’s very chill, and I thought, why not share this dog with other people,” Riott said.
The Dogs on Call program uses animals to help patients cope in facilities throughout the St. Luke’s network. Louie Pancakes visits St. Luke’s Hospice House every three weeks, bringing joy and comfort to patients and their families.
“I think that what Louie does is he brings this joy and allows people to just for a moment to forget their illness, to forget their pain and just be right with the dog,” Riott said.
Louie Pancakes was trained through KC Pets for Life, an organization that works with dogs, cats, and even rabbits to prepare them for therapy work. However, there are certain requirements for therapy animals and their owners.
“Experience with death is important from the owner,” Community Events Coordinator for St. Luke’s Hospice Melissa Tinklepaugh said. “How they connect with people in general.”
From rescue pup to grief counselor, Louie Pancakes is positively impacting the lives of those he meets.
