Outside The Ropes: A Place to Live

This article appeared in The LPGA Future's Tour

On Tuesday, several LPGA Futures Tour players joined forces with service dogs to accomplish one goal, bring smiles to the faces of those involved with the Hospice of Cincinnati. Kylene Pully, Jackie Barenborg, Lucy Nunn, Mesha Levister, Leah Wigger, Kirby Dreher, Lyndsay McBride, Erica Moston, and Annie Brophy divided their efforts to visit the Hospice of Cincinnati’s Blue and Anderson units.

Players who visited the Blue Ash unit toured the facility and got the opportunity to assist in pet therapy with certified service dogs. As players and service dogs Jazz and Rowdy went room-to-room visiting patients and their families, volunteers and employees, and overwhelming sense of joy and calmness was apparent on everyone’s face.

Rowdy, a 95-pound Collie, waited patiently at the edge of patients’ beds for them to reach out and pet his soft, white coat. The four-year service dog then glared with love, reassuring patients they were there to live.

“Visiting the Hospice center was very enlightening,” said Barenborg. “It’s a great place for your loved ones who are near the end and it makes me realize that a bad day on the golf course is not that big of a deal. You have to cherish life.”

The Hospice of Cincinnati is unlike any other hospice provider taking a patient and family first approach. For more than 30 years, The Hospice of Cincinnati has offered a wide variety of activities in patients’ homes, nursing home, or four state-of-theart care centers.

        Copyright 2012 Therapy Pets of Greater Cincinnati, a 501(c)(3) organization     Last Updated 05/07/2012      Website by Kathy McRoberts