Molly, along with her two sisters, Pearl and Amber, are not your typical visitors to local retirement homes and schools. But one thing is for sure, these three canines bring joy like no others.
The three shelties are members of the Morningstar Therapy Dogs team. Every Tuesday, handlers Ruth and Keven Isgar take Molly, Pearl and Amber to Colorow Care Center in Olathe and Valley Manor Care Center in Montrose.
  
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The Morningstar team was founded by local veterinarian Dr. Bettye Hooley in 2003. Currently, the team has about 15 different handler and canine companions. Hooley and her Australian shepherd mix companion, Sheila, visit Homestead at Montrose weekly. Hooley says there are scientific studies which show the benefits of canine visitation.
“Studies show that when you pet a dog, your blood pressure lowers,” she says. “It’s a mutually beneficial situation, it relaxes the dog as well.” Hooley adds that the presence of dogs also allows some naturally shy people to open and start a conversation as their focus is on the animal.
“Animals give people a sense of security,” she says. “They aren’t judgmental. The dogs make everyone feel better.” She says when group members visit retirement homes, it’s not just the residents who enjoy the canines.
“The nurses come up and talk to the dogs,” Hooley says. “People just walking by, stop and give a pat. It’s wonderful.”
Gretta Kelley, activities assistant at Valley Manor, agrees with Hooley.
“The residents love the dogs,” she says. “And around the holidays, they dress the dogs up and make them festive for the visit. The dogs come in decked out in red, white and blue around the 4th of July and around Christmas, they wear little Santa hats. The dogs love it, the residents love it.”
Kelley says some dogs sit in the residents’ laps while the bigger dogs simply lean in for a little loving.
“The residents give lots of hugs and kisses and they are always asking, when is Molly coming? When do we get to see our friends?”
Ruth has been active in the Morningstar group for the last four years. Previously, she did similar therapy work with the Grand Junction Kennel Club and the regional 4-H group. She says she truly enjoys her quality volunteer time. In fact, the family adopted Molly after her original owner succumbed to cancer.
“We go every week but we do have to keep an eye on the dogs and how they react,” Ruth explains. “If someone has passed, it really affects the dogs. They know who to expect to see and play with. These residents really become a part of the dogs’ lives too and if someone is missing, they feel it.”
She emphasizes the fact that many people love animals and many of the residents had pets before moving to assisted living facilities. These pets deeply affecte the residents’ lives and the visiting canines bring back good memories associated with animals.
“So many of the people we visit tell us about their favorite pets,” Ruth says. “By spending time with the animals they are able to reflect on those fond memories.”
Other canine groups travel to local elementary schools. Lew French and his uber-personal black labrador, Gina, visits Northside Elementary as part of the Read to Rover program. The national Read to Rover program pairs students who are learning to read with canine companions.
“With the Read to Rover participants, the children don’t worry about messing up and being criticized and actually their reading skills improve greatly,” Ruth says.
Hooley says Lew and Gina are quite the popular pair at the elementary school and Gina knows she is a cool dog.
“She is such a character,” Hooley says. “She walks in the door carrying a book in her mouth. She knows she is special and the children really respond to that.”
The group holds fundraisers about twice a year but right now the members are really pushing to grow its membership. There are several other facilities they would like to frequent but sheer numbers keep their visitation schedule limited.
The group meets the second Tuesday of each month at Lions Park. Their next meeting will be held again at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 11. A training session will follow at 7 p.m.
To be a member, dogs must become certified. The certification process tests canines on basic skills like accepting friendly strangers, being able to sit politely while being pet and being well groomed. For more information about the group, visit www.morningstarvet.com and select the therapy dog page or call Ruth at 249-5252.
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