Betty Lou’s “Poodle-oos” provide animal therapy

It takes a special kind of person to work in nursing homes. It requires compassion, commitment, and patience. However, for one local woman there’s another ingredient, her dogs.

Spice, Lamp Chop and Fancy are three of four poodles a part of the dog therapy program, Betty Lou’s “Poodle-oos.”

Betty Lou Stratton says, “I was talking to this one lady and was telling her that I had dogs. She says oh bring one in.”

Stratton has been bringing her dogs to local nursing homes for nineteen years. They’re rescue animals that do a little rescuing themselves. They make patients feel good.

Stratton says, “I’d go in and there’d be a resident down like this. I don’t know how they knew. If I was by myself they would pay any attention to me, but if I had a dog in my arms they’d sit up straight and reach out for the dog.”

Stratton brings her “poodle-oo” team to the Country Rest Home in Greenwood every Sunday. Residents say they’ve seen the most remarkable things when they come. 

Rosemary Winchester, a resident at the home says, “This lady hadn’t talked since she’d been there. We didn’t think she could talk. When the dog jumped in her lap she said I had a dog like this.”

Studies have found that heart attack patients who own pets live longer than those who don’t. Researchers say petting a dog can reduce blood pressure.

Human-dog interactions release oxytocins which create powerful social attachments. Nurses at Greenwood say these interactions also bring a sense of familiarity that can be lacking in patients who live in nursing homes. 

Penney Baldoni, a licensed practical nurse says, “It brings back memories from when they were younger and had puppies and children, you know things like that of their own. It just lights up their life.”

If anyone is interested in having Betty Lou’s Poodle-oos therapy program stop by your local nursing home, you can contact Betty Lou Stratton at 410- 479- 5665 or at thetractlady@yahoo.com.