Carl Yusavitz, D. Min., on Lucky and Missy

Making Rounds with “Pastoral Care” Dogs

Dogs have been around for a long time. Today we think of them as either pets or “working dogs”. Although most of us are familiar with dogs as pets, some of us, particularly the hunters or farmers among us, are familiar with dogs who work. However, it was not until this past summer that two unusual working dogs visited Penn Foundation, where I work as a chaplain. Penn Foundation is a comprehensive behavioral healthcare ministry of the Mennonite Church, just outside Philadelphia, PA.

Penn Foundation has a psychosocial rehabilitation program called “Wellspring Clubhouse.” At our Clubhouse, based on the Fountainhead Clubhouse in New York City, members are trained to deal with the stressors of a regular work day. They also receive important vocational skills and information. At the request of clubhouse members, my CPE intern brought two of her working dogs, Norwegian Elkhounds named “Lucky” and “Missy”, to Penn Foundation for a visit. Along with seminary studies, pastoral responsibilities in her church, and fulfilling the requirements of CPE, my chaplain intern also trains dogs to do “pet therapy” in our community hospitals and hospice programs.

With Lucky and Missy by her side, my CPE student explained to the members of the clubhouse the many roles of the “working dog” in our society. “Dogs work very hard for us”, she said. Their most famous jobs include search and rescue, guiding the blind, and sniffing for drugs or bombs. “But they do so much more too,” she added. Lucky and Missy, for example, were trained to cheer people up or help them communicate better. Like chaplains, they visit the sick, the dying, those in prison, patients suffering with Alzheimer’s, and children with developmental disabilities and autism.

The work that my CPE student does with her “pastoral care” dogs has been replicated in hundreds of other situations across the country, but bringing Lucky and Missy to Penn Foundation was a special treat. As she let members of the clubhouse pet and talk with Lucky and Missy, my CPE student reminded them of the many studies in “pet therapy” that highlight the successful use of animals as “communication bridges” when normal communication has been disrupted, as well as companions who help relieve stress and boredom during lengthy hospital stays. Lucky and Missy’s visit to Penn Foundation was a visit that members of our Clubhouse and this CPE supervisor will never forget!

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