"Tyson was born to be a therapy dog. He brings a smile to those we meet on our daily neighbourhood walks. On a recent walk we came across three different people, two with their own dogs. The first encounter was with someone we have met before. After a few pets he said to me, "Tyson is really special and he should volunteer up at Lions Gate Hospital". He was pleased when I told him we do volunteer there. The next person was a man walking his kids to school. He said to me, "my wife loves your dog, we live right here and she should still be on the porch, could you please go and see her". I said of course, Tyson ran up to see her and she was thrilled. The last encounter was a gentleman who asked if he could pet Tyson. After few minutes he said "Tyson should be a therapy dog". He smiled when I told him he was. He continued to pet Tyson and as he left he said "thank you for the therapy".
We have had so many impactful moments when we volunteer at Lions Gate Hospital. When we enter the building the staff announce it’s “Tyson Tuesday”. We visit in the lobby and then visit two wards. The staff always ask if Tyson can visit their floors if we see them in the lobby. If only I could clone Tyson! One time we had a family member say with tears in their eyes their loved one wasn’t engaged until they had a visit with Tyson. I’ve witnessed children who moods change after a cuddle with Tyson. We had several visits with a patient who was a dog trainer and was thrilled to visit each week with Tyson. After a cuddle with Tyson staff regularly comment, “ok now I can make it through the day”.
We are running into patients that we visited at LGH in the community after their hospital visit. One mentioned how he loved how Tyson came right up to him in his hospital bed for a visit. Another was a child who asked "is that Tyson"? He was excited to see him again. His mom said all he could talk for weeks was Tysons visit in the hospital.
Tyson has also volunteered with the corporate sponsors and recently had a high school visit which was great fun.
Our time with BC Pets and Friends has been an incredibly rewarding experience for Tyson and I."
