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Gracie spreads
Christmas cheer at Oakley House
By Bob Robinson
GREENVILLE – Gracie travels five counties spreading cheer to hospice
patients and residents of nursing and continuing care homes. She’s two
years old and loves to go “bye-bye.”
Gracie is a TDI: Therapy Dog International.
Her most recent visit to Darke County was at the Oakley House in
Greenville on Dec. 19. Gracie wandered around the room visiting over 20
residents while her owner, Candy Null, explained Gracie’s training to
get the designation of Therapy Dog.
“I got her in a box,” Null said. “When I took her out of it, it was
like the Tasmanian Devil. She ran around everywhere. In the beginning
all she did was pee and poop.”
Noting Gracie was her best friend, Null said she started training when
she was eight weeks old. She got her basic training through the Darke
County Dog Club. “There was no training available for the TDI program
so I did it myself.”
Gracie had to go to Columbus and pass 13 different tests in order to be
certified. Two of the tests involved turning down food and walking over
a hot dog.
Null, a Heartland Hospice chaplain, had Gracie do tricks for the
residents, played some Christmas songs on her 36-string “Appalachian
instrument” and told a story about a town that had chimes that wouldn’t
ring.
“Townspeople brought gifts to celebrate the Christ Child,” she said,
“but the chimes still wouldn’t ring. Then two small boys arrived… and
gave all that they had to the Christ Child.”
And the chimes started ringing.
Earlier Ted Finnarn gave the residents a presentation about handling
their estates, and afterward Santa visited the Oakley House to hand out
presents to the residents.
Sandy Baker, Oakley House sales manager, said the Santa visit was
courtesy of Spirit Ambulance. The Hartzell family – Linda, Larry and
Paul – did the honors with presents purchased by the Oakley House staff.
“Each of our staff members adopted a resident,” Baker said.
There was one more Christmas event for residents. The daughter of
Dining Services Coordinator Darla Cross, Shalee, lost her home the end
of November due to a fire. Everything was gone.
“The staff and residents here,” Baker said, “went together to purchase
presents and food for Shalee, her husband and their three children.”
Published courtesy
of The Early Bird
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