Dog and Veteran team visits Vets, spreads joy

Lou Lewis of Nashville is retired from the Army and has a very popular dog. Petey, a 9-year-old, 80-pound greyhound, works with Lewis to provide animal visitation with Veterans as part of the Pet Partners organization.

“I had a visit yesterday, and one of the Veterans said, ‘I could just talk to Petey all day long,’” Lewis said. Right now, the volunteer team of man and dog visits Veterans virtually and should return to in-person visits soon.

Lewis, who has five greyhounds, adopted Petey seven years ago. The people she and Petey visit provide a sense of social connection as well as a sense of levity and fun from how others respond to him. Petey helps Lewis stay healthy by increasing physical activity through walks and training.

“When we’re out for walks, people will point and say, ‘That’s a greyhound! I think that’s the one I lost my money on at the track!’” Lewis said with a laugh.

Petey is a retired racing greyhound. Lewis adopted him via the Music City Greyhound Adoption program, which finds loving homes for retired racing greyhounds.

Trained to provide animal-assisted therapy

She and Petey trained with Pet Partners to become a therapy animal team and registered through Music City Pet Partners, a volunteer therapy animal organization, to provide animal-assisted therapy.

“The handler and the therapy dog have to have a great connection,” she said.

Petey learned how to maneuver around wheelchairs and walkers and stay calm around different or loud voices like he might encounter during VA medical center visits.

“I can relate to some of the experiences these Veterans have had,” Lewis said. “I’ve served during the Vietnam era, like some of them. They know my rank, which was First Sergeant, and they’ll call me ‘Top’ or salute me.”

The power of what animals can do for people

Once, a patient who had difficulty speaking received a visit from Petey.

“I went in and said, ‘This is Petey, he wants to be your friend,’ and the patient was able to say the word ‘dog,'” she said. “I’ve got goosebumps right now. It just shows you the power of what animals can do for people.”

Pet Partners, which promotes the health and wellness benefits of animal-assisted interventions including animal-assisted therapy, activities and education, established a partnership with VA in 2019.

VA’s National Center for Healthcare Advancement and Partnerships manages the partnership. Many Veteran Pet Partners volunteers talk about their positive experiences.

Therapy animals are used, usually in a clinical setting, to improve physical, developmental, social, cognitive and/or emotional health functioning. Visits with animals can improve people’s health and well-being through the human-animal bond.

Join the world’s largest Pet Walk Sept. 25

Veterans can also experience the benefits of the human-animal bond, as well as physical activity, by participating in Pet Partners’ World’s Largest Pet Walk on September 25.

For more information about becoming a therapy animal team, visit: petpartners.org/volunteer/.

For more information on HAP’s partnerships, please visit va.gov/healthpartnerships.