Mitchell doesn’t have a fancy medical degree or wear a stethoscope around his neck, but he does roam the hospital making patients feel better with his floppy ears and wagging tail.
The 3-year-old English springer spaniel works as a therapy dog boosting patients? emotional health at Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital.
‘He’s the only therapy dog at Beaumont that has his own name tag,? according to owner and trainer Jim Hughes, an Oxford resident since 1969.
With an official hospital photo identification badge dangling from his collar, Mitchell has spent the last year-and-a-half lowering Beaumont patients? anxiety levels and lifting their spirits.
Registered with Therapy Dogs International, Inc. (TDI), Mitchell has made more than 50 visits to Beaumont and spent time with between 300 and 400 patients, according to Hughes.
Founded in New Jersey in 1976, TDI is a volunteer organization dedicated to regulating, testing and registering therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers for the purpose of visiting nursing homes, hospitals and other institutions.
More than 15,000 dogs and approximately 13,000 handlers are registered with TDI in all 50 states and Canada. The physical and emotional benefits of therapy dogs are well documented.
‘Studies have shown that a person holding or petting an animal will cause a lowering of blood pressure, the release of strain and tension, and can draw out a person from loneliness and depression,? according to TDI’s website www.tdi-dog.org.
‘You walk into someone’s room and he immediately puts a smile on their face,? said Hughes, who worked for Beaumont as a carpenter/cabinetmaker from 1977-97, then returned in 2003 on a part-time basis doing locksmith work for hospital security. ‘It just warms your heart. It’s a great feeling.?
Hughes, who lives on Dennison St., trained dogs in obedience for more than 20 years in Troy, Royal Oak and Oxford. He trained dogs locally through the Oxford school district’s adult education program from 1980-91.
One day, Hughes was watching a television program about therapy dogs and thought, ‘Gosh, I can do that.? So, he spent a year training Mitchell to pass the 11 tests required to become a registered TDI dog.
Each dog must pass the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen Test and a temperament evaluation for suitability to become a therapy dog.
‘It just takes little time,? Hughes said. ‘You have to be dedicated and make a commitment to do it.?
Mitchell is now a frequent visitor with Beaumont patients undergoing psychiatric treatment and physical rehabilitation as a result of injury or surgery.
‘He cheers those people up,? Hughes said.
Although Mitchell has never cured anyone, he once helped doctors reach a 17-year-old girl who suffered a serious head injury in a car accident.
‘She was sitting in a chair with a blank look on her face,? Hughes recalled. ‘They were getting some response, but not a lot.?
A nurse took the girl’s hand and rubbed it over her other hand. No response. The girl’s hand was rubbed over a nurse’s arm. No response.
When the girl’s hand was placed on Mitchell’s head, ‘all of the sudden her fingers started rubbing the dog’s head,? according to Hughes.
‘Her facial expression didn’t change whatsoever,? he said. ‘But her hand was working the dog’s head.?
The nurse then took the girl’s hand, rubbed it across the length of Mitchell’s back two or three times and left it sitting there.
‘Then she did the same thing ? moved her own hand back and forth on the dog,? Hughes said. ‘They were amazed. The doctors said they knew the response was there, but didn’t know how to bring it out.?
Over the next few weeks, Mitchell made two or three trips after that to the see the girl, who got ‘progressively better.?
‘That’s probably the best story I have,? Hughes said.
In addition to Beaumont, Hughes also takes Mitchell for visits to the Bortz Health Care of Oakland, a nursing home in Orion, and the Colombiere Center, a retirement community in Clarkston for infirm and elderly Jesuit priests and brothers.
During a visit to the Colombiere Center, Hughes told one of the priests that Mitchell has ‘got a real problem.?
When the priest inquired as to the nature of this problem, Hughes told him, ‘He’s a Protestant.?
The 88-year-old priest laughed, stood up, blessed Mitchell and said, ‘Now he’s a good Catholic dog.?
Owning a therapy dog is a ‘really rewarding experience? in Hughes? opinion. ‘It’s uplifting.?
Hughes said he would like to see more people participate in this unique volunteer opportunity.
‘Facilities are always looking for people to bring therapy dogs in,? he said. ‘Not only Beaumont, but other hospitals and nursing homes.?
‘Anybody can do this,? Hughes explained. ‘You can use any kind of dog. It doesn’t have to be a pedigree dog.?
It doesn’t even have to be a dog. Cats are also welcome as therapy animals.
The only things a person interested in training and owning a therapy dog must have are patience, time and dedication, according to Hughes, who plans to train his other dog Sara, a 2-year-old English cocker spaniel, as a therapy dog.