South Elgin’s Anderson Humane is going beyond caring for animals with new programs focused on human-animal connection.
Formerly known as Anderson Animal Shelter and Fox Valley Wildlife Center, the nonprofit organization has made a point of recognizing how important that link is for pet owners, senior director Dean Daubert said.
“We even changed our mission statement. Our mission statement is to champion the welfare of animals and improve the lives of people through programs that create mutually beneficial human-animal connections, inspiring kindness and respect throughout our community,” Daubert said.
“We’re always looking for ways to give back to the community. We have always gone beyond animal care. Healing Paws and Constant Companions are ways to give back,” he said.
Healing Paws Pet Therapy started a few years ago. Volunteers take their certified animals to senior centers, colleges and other places where people are dealing with stressful situations or are in need of comfort, Daubert said.
It’s been proven through studies that pets can lower blood pressure and the risk of heart disease, reduce stress, anxiety and depression, and an increase social interaction, he said.
Currently, they have 14 animals — including one cat — that are certified to participate in the program, Daubert said, and they’re looking for other types of animals to become certified.
After being put on hold during the coronavirus pandemic, it was relaunched in January and did 30 visits just in that month alone.
“We’re off to a great start this year,” Daubert said. “We had so many requests. People are so starved for that connection.”
Amy Ivy’s dog, Coco, is a therapy dog with Anderson. The 10-year-old Shorkie, a Yorkshire terrier and Shih Tzu breed, behaves a lot like a puppy despite her age, she said.
“When I take her out to visit, she sits on every lap. She lets them hold her, give her a rub down, and I’m onto the next person,” Ivy said.
Coco is good at comforting seniors. “Some of them just cry because it brings back so many memories,” she said. “They tell me stories about their animals, and they remember the love they had for their animal.”
It’s rewarding to see that connection, Ivy said. “If you’ve lost an animal, it stays with you. For me to bring that light back to people’s lives brings me a great feeling of joy that makes me keep going back,” she said.
A program Anderson launched this year is Constant Companions.
The shelter noticed some seniors were having a hard time caring for their pets, Daubert said. “We really saw a need in the community based on the requests we were getting,” he said.
Thanks to a grant from the Milstein Family Foundation, Constant Companions is able to help seniors and homebound pet owners get access to veterinary care, grooming and other pet care services.
Trained volunteers go to a senior’s home to help them take care of their animal and get access to what they need, Daubert said.
“The thought of having to give up their pet can be heartbreaking when having other stresses in their life,” he said. It means the world to them to be able to keep their pet safe, he said.
“We see this program expanding greatly,” Daubert said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
