ASHEBORO, N.C. — Therapy dogs are found to help relieve stress, decrease blood pressure, reduce depression and more. One therapy dog in North Carolina used to helping others needed some encouragement of his own after being diagnosed with cancer.
What You Need To Know
- Quinn is a therapy dog at Randolph Health that was diagnosed with lymphoma earlier this year
- One in four dogs will be diagnosed with cancer
- Quinn is currently in remission
- Randolph Health is at a need for therapy dogs in their program
Anne Evans began the therapy dog program at Randolph Health in Asheboro in 2016, and now she helps others learn about the importance of therapy dog training. This includes skills such as being calm, waiting patiently at doors before proceeding and to leave items.
“We don't want them picking up a pill or something else. And that's so important for every household to know that because you might drop a pill in your dog, you know, go and pick it up and eat it and it could be dangerous and that sort of thing,” Evans said.
Marsha Rogers has been working with animal rescues for over 30 years. After seeing what emotional and physical benefits her own dogs gave her, she learned how to train therapy dogs.
“I thought, what can I do with my dog and interactions I can have with my own dog and have fun and yet, you know, make other people happy,” Rogers said.
Rogers began bringing her therapy dog, Quinn, to Randolph Health in 2019 to help soothe stress for nurses and patients.
“Whenever they come in, you see everybody’s face lights up, especially during COVID, when it was a very dark, depressing, lonely time. It gives us a little bit of a break from our daily tasks, and a second to be a human for once,” Carissa Skipper, the clinical supervisor of the progressive care unit at Randolph Health said.
Quinn even helped his owner overcome her fears of being in a hospital.
“I was terrified of hospitals. I hated hospitals because my dad died in hospital. So when I first started, I wouldn't even come out in the hallway without somebody with me,” Rogers said.
Through the years, Rogers and Quinn have become staples of the hospital, with nurses coming in on their day off to see the duo, and making lasting connections to patients,” Rogers said.
“We became really good friends with one of them patients. And he actually passed and we were invited to the funeral. He loved Quincy. It was just such a comfort for him to have a dog there just while he was going through with his treatments.”
Quinn visits different parts of the hospital including the intensive care and oncology units. It took on a different meaning when Quinn was diagnosed with lymphoma earlier this year.
“I would have never thought it was cancer, ever," Rogers said.
Rogers lost her first therapy dog she trained to cancer and currently has another dog at a clinical cancer trial at N.C. State.
One in four dogs will be diagnosed with cancer, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
“Now he'll go back every month for re-checks, just to make sure it's not back, because it will come back,” Rogers said.
After 12 rounds of chemotherapy, Quinn is currently in remission, and returned to his work in the hospital with a special surprise.
“I was thinking about it and thought, why can't Quinn ring a bell? And why can't we do it at the hospital where he volunteers, where people love him and he loves them?" Rogers said.
Ringing a bell made by a member of the hospital staff signified this milestone in Quinn's cancer journey.
“I couldn’t do it without Quinn," said Rogers.
Randolph Health is at a need for therapy dogs due to recent losses within their therapy dog program, including Anne Evan’s dog Chelsea.
They encourage dog owners to look into how to train their pets to be licensed therapy dogs.
