By: Ariel Sax

Though Nancy’s sweet smile may not be remembered, Molly’s silky, golden fur is a powerful and familiar touch to the residents. If Nancy Vanbuskirk and Molly receive a few smiles on their weekly visit to Chateau Gardens Memory Care, an assisted living care facility in Springfield, OR, then they had a successful day. Nancy has personally seen demeanors change to pure joy when Molly the golden retriever trots into a room.

Together, Nancy and Molly are certified as a pet therapy team with PAAWS (People and Animals Who Serve). Nancy has seven rich years of experience with animals and has trained three dogs, all of which are rescues, in her life so far. She spends her time at places like Chateau Gardens, where she has had routinely visits the past five months. Tabitha Hamilton, the activity assistant at Chateau Gardens, has known Nancy for 10 years and understands how much animal therapy has impacted her life. Tabitha says in reference to the residents at Chateau Gardens, “She’s really good at bringing up their spirits.” Nancy’s instinctive compassion is what led her to pursuing this career.

However, her love and passion for animal therapy was not solidified until she met three young boys. With her second trained dog, Prancer, she would visit the hospital where these boys were admitted, all of whom had the same medical condition. Nancy still does not know the medical condition, but each would come to the hospital once a month on different days to receive the same medical treatment. Observing both the boy’s instantaneous excitement of seeing Prancer frisk around the corner and the flood of relief and appreciativeness on the parent’s faces was unforgettable to Nancy. “Working with the kids was probably the best time I’ve ever had doing this kind of work.” To Nancy, it was worth the patient investment of training to see that kind of impact that Molly, as well as other trained dogs like her, can have on an individual’s life. For Nancy, to experience the joy of seeing the boys abandon their hospital beds to jump on the floor playing, smiling and laughing froze time. “This one of the moments that sealed it for me and that I’ll probably always do this as long as I physically can.”

What Nancy learns from her pet therapy visits continue to spill into her everyday life. She continues to learn about what patience and compassion embody through encounters and interactions with friends every day. Nancy could not imagine her life without the presence of animals; it’s her own form of therapy. As Molly becomes more trained and controlled, they’ll move on to bigger assisted living areas. Nancy’s awe of learning from Molly will never cease, “It doesn’t take much to show a little kindness to people.”