Pet Monologues

Hospital plans to unleash animal-assisted therapy.

Like other hospitals that have used animal-assisted therapy to help patients reduce stress and heal faster, Northwest Community Hospital is recruiting dogs and owners interested in volunteering for a new program expected to begin in August.

“The animals provide a unique dimension of care that is unlike any other therapy around,” said Diane Colville, manager of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation at the Arlington Heights hospital. Read the rest of this entry »

Another pet food recall. COLUMBIA, S.C. - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports that at least 76 dogs nationwide are believed to have died as a result of eating contaminated Diamond Pet Foods. [RK] Read the rest of this entry »

Marco, a large brown tabby cat, stately sits on his haunches outside Venice’s Ospedale Civile, welcoming all who come to visit loved ones at this hospital. Is that a smirk on his face, or do I imagine a smug smile when I notice a sign on the door showing a dog in a circle with the slash symbol through it? Marco is the hospital’s official greeter. “It gives people hope when they see him,” says Gabriella Sanna, secretary of Dingo, a non-profit organization that helps care for some 500 stray cats in Venice and its islands. Venice is but one Italian city where numerous gattare (cat ladies) take care of homeless felines and is the first stop on our 12-day “Cats and Culture” tour from Venice to Rome in October’s perfect weather.

Venetians’ affection for cats dates back centuries because of the feline affinity for rodents. Special Venetian cats even were bred in the 13th Century to go after rats carrying the black plague. About 40 cats — gatti, in Italian — live at Venice’s main hospital, which dates from the 15th Century. “The hospital has many mice, so the cats are welcome here,” Sanna says. Read the rest of this entry »