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Oliver the therapy dog
When David Thomas and Oliver come to visit here at Encompass Rehabilitation Hospital in Newnan, they are a big deal.
Atlanta - When David Thomas and Oliver come to visit here at Encompass Rehabilitation Hospital in Newnan, they are a big deal.
"When we walk in the room, like today, for example, the whole level of the room is just elevated tremendously," Thomas says. "People get really excited."
The 4-year-old Golden Retriever certified by the Alliance of Therapy Dogs is here for anyone who the kind of no-holes-barred love and attention that only a dog can provide. And, for the patients, Oliver feels like a taste of home.
"They just absolutely light up," Thomas says. "They don't expect to see him in certain situations like a hospital. When he walks in, they may be thinking of their dog at home, who they haven't seen because of their duration in the hospital, you know. So, that brings a joy to them."
On this day, Oliver is visiting with John Ogg, who has had a rough couple of years, in and out of the hospital with lung infections.
"The first time, I got admitted with pneumonia and then got COVID, and that really messed me up," Ogg says. "I got put on a vent and don't remember 3 months of my life there."
He went home, only to land back in the hospital.
Now, Ogg is trying to get strong to go home and live independently again.
And, he says, Oliver's visits help.
"When he came in, it was like, 'Oh, wow, a dog," Ogg says. "So he rose my spirits immensely. When I saw him last time, I was having some pain in my knees. I always have pain in my knees, but worse than usual. And, just that made my day so much that, you know, the rest of the day, I was fine."
While he's here, Oliver is all business.
"He's got a vest on, and he knows he's working," Thomas says. "He's trained for that. But, when that vest comes off, he's a normal dog, he's all zoomies, and he wants to play."