At St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth, taking good care of our patients is about paying attention to what really matters to them… and that includes their important relationships with the dogs that share their lives. Worrying about what will happen to their faithful canine companion can weigh heavily on a patient’s mind in their final days and weeks.
Partners, family members or friends are often only too happy to take on a loved one’s pet, but that’s not always possible. That’s when our compassionate teams go above and beyond to help find the right solution. They’ve even been known to adopt a patient’s dog themselves.
Community team specialist health care assistant Marianne Smith stepped in a couple of months ago to find a new owner for patient Christine’s little dog, Roddy. The cute and fluffy white Kokoni had already had a difficult start in life. He was found as a stray puppy on the streets of Cyprus, and he’d been Christine’s loyal pal for around four years.
‘KNOWING HE WAS OK MEANT SHE FELT ABLE TO LET GO’
Clinical nurse specialist Teresa Bickle was helping Christine put together an advance care plan, noting down what was important to her as she came closer to the end of her life. Roddy’s future was, of course, a top priority and a huge source of anxiety.
With Christine’s health declining rapidly, she was having to move quickly from assisted living accommodation into a care home and she was desperate to find someone kind and dependable to look after her pet.
Teresa, who had adopted a patient’s dog – the very handsome Archie – five years earlier, immediately thought of her community team colleague, Marianne.
“Teresa knew that my own dog had died at the beginning of the year, so she got in touch with me about Roddy,” explained Marianne.
“I immediately said I would consider having him. I was on holiday in North Devon at the time, so we arranged a video call with Christine.
“She was really upset. She relied very heavily on Roddy for company, and she was there for him too. She just wanted to know that he was going somewhere where someone would love him. It was very important for her to know that he would be safe and cared for, so I said I would look after him.”
Christine moved into the care home leaving Roddy temporarily with a staff member at the assisted living facility overnight. When Marianne returned from holiday the next day she collected the little dog straight away.
“That evening we took Roddy in to see Christine at the care home. She was so relieved. She kept saying thank you for looking after my little boy. Thirty-six hours later she died peacefully. Knowing he was OK meant she felt able to let go.”
A FOREVER HOME FOR RODDY
After a week Roddy wasn’t settling in at her home as well as Marianne had hoped, and she had to accept that plans don’t always work out.
“He was guarding random things in the house. I have young grandchildren who visit, so I was a bit concerned about that. I worked from home when I could, but when I had to go out, I’d check him on a doggy-cam and he didn’t seem happy. I decided it might not be the best idea to keep him myself, but I was determined to find him a good home,” she said.
Marianne sent out a message to the wider St Luke’s team asking for help to find Roddy a permanent new owner, as well as reaching out to Cyprus dog rescue organisations.
“I had so much support from everyone at St Luke’s. Having such a good community around you means you don’t feel on your own in a situation like that.”
Before long a relative of one of Christine’s old neighbours, whose own dog had died, offered to meet Roddy with a view to adopting him.
“I was so pleased when she and Roddy got on like a house on fire. Straight away it looked like they were meant to be together, and we arranged for her to take him. She has been in touch to say that he is settling well. She’s so happy to have him and he is happy to be with her,” said Marianne.
BEST BUDDIES TERESA AND ARCHIE
Fellow dog lover Teresa might have taken in Roddy herself if she didn’t already have Bedlington Terrier lurcher cross Archie, the dog she adopted when she was a staff nurse in our specialist unit at Turnchapel.
Teresa said: “I was looking after Archie’s ‘mum’, Heather. She was a clinical psychologist, full of character and we got on really well. She knew I was a dog lover and I’d told her that I had recently lost my staffie, Bindi.
“She kind of twisted my arm to have Archie! One weekend her sister-in-law brought him in to visit. She was looking after him temporarily, but she already had two big dogs of her own. And at our staff handovers it was mentioned that if Heather couldn’t rehome Archie, then he would have to be put to sleep. I just couldn’t let that happen.”
Teresa offered to take him home for the weekend. If he was good with her grandchildren and with the other dogs in the family, then she would consider keeping him. He’s been with her ever since.
“He’s 11 now and he’s had a lovely life,” said Teresa. “Heather was so relieved when I said I would have him. Her sister-in-law came to my house to see where he was going to be, and we took photos to show Heather.
“She lived for about three more weeks after that. I brought Archie into the unit to visit her, and she died peacefully knowing that he was comfortable and settled. I think spiritually Heather was able to rest in peace because she knew her dog was going to be cared for.”
The relationship Teresa has with Archie is a special one that has been mutually beneficial. “It certainly wasn’t just me doing a good service,” she said. “Archie quickly became a great companion for me, especially during Covid.”
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