Former Racing Dog Now Brings Comfort to Nursing Home Residents

When Ann Marie Rakovic and her greyhound, Ozzie, visit the Marlborough Hills Healthcare Center once a week, it’s usually during “Bingo time.” The senior residents always stop their game, though, and welcome Ozzie with smiles and pats. Ozzie is not only a rescued racing dog, but now a therapy dog for those in need.

“Most of the women want kisses and many of the men tell me stories of their racetrack memories and betting on greyhounds years ago when Massachusetts had two active tracks,” said Rakovic. “They are always curious about Ozzie’s ear tattoos which identify his pedigree.”

Rakovic lost her first greyhound, Missile, to cancer just a month before Ozzie, a former racer from Arkansas, came home to live with her. At first, she didn’t think she would adopt another dog for a long while; her heart was broken and she wasn’t ready. But the emptiness she felt made her realize it was time to open her heart and home again.

For Rakovic, Ozzie is her third greyhound. Ozzie’s also the second from Greyhound Friends, a small nonprofit organization in Hopkinton that is dedicated to saving racetrack greyhounds and other purpose bred dogs so they can be placed in loving homes. Not only did Rakovic adopt a dog from Greyhound Friends, she’s been an avid volunteer and adopter for the organization for seven years.

“I joined their board two years ago, so that I could deepen my commitment to the care and placement of the wonderful hounds that come through their doors,” said Rakovic. “Over the years my three greyhounds have given me so much love that I wanted to give back. I volunteer regularly, make a modest monthly on-line donation and try to be of assistance in supporting the organizations’ ability to sustain itself during these really tough financial times.”

To date, Greyhound Friends has placed more than 9,000 dogs.

With Ozzie, Rakovic noticed he had an incredibly gentle temperament and is social both with people and other dogs. She looked into the Pets and People Foundation’s Animal Therapy Program, and found that she and Ozzie would be perfect candidates.

“He is a happy dog, always wagging his tail, even at the vet’s office,” said Rakovic. “He’s pretty much ‘bulletproof’ and has a high tolerance for just about anything: noise, kids, small animals etc. making him the perfect type of dog for the Pets and People (P&P) Foundation’s Animal Therapy Program.”

To prep themselves for the P&P program, Ozzie and Rakovic completed a greyhound specialty basic obedience class held at the Westborough Especially for Pets with trainer Christine MacDonald.

“She noted Ozzie’s good nature and invited us to take the P&P certification test, which we passed with flying colors,” said Rakovic. “Once we were a P&P Certified Therapy Team, there were two things I was sure of: 1) I wanted to work with Ozzie in a nursing home and 2) I wanted to volunteer locally in Marlborough where I now live. Over 17 years ago my mother spent the last few months of her life being cared for in a nursing home. I am certain that she would have loved visits with a therapy dog during her stay there. In a way, I feel like I am carrying on my mother’s legacy of love through the caring and comfort that Ozzie and I bring to the nursing home residents.”

Rakovic visits with Ozzie at the Marlborough Hills Health Care Center, which has waited a “long time” for a therapy dog team to be placed at its facility. They visit weekly and he already has a following of friends.

“One of the obstacles to getting a placement was their very strict volunteer policy. Volunteers need to go through a criminal record offender information (CORI) background check, submit to a urine test to confirm that they are drug free and participate in a comprehensive volunteer orientation that includes pre and post testing - for the better part of a day.”

While many volunteer candidates did not have the time or desire to go through such an intensive review process, Rakovic says she actually welcomed it.

“I am a certified social worker and know full well the need for accountability,” said Rakovic. “I wish that all health care facilities would have the type of volunteer curriculum and dedicated staff that MHHCC has.”

The role of the therapy dog, she said, is to provide comfort and companionship.

One of her most cherished memories of working therapy with Ozzie is meeting a woman named Edith Campbell and her daughter and grandchildren. From the moment they met, Edith and Ozzie took to one another and Edith’s family began to snap shots “like the paparazzi.”

“There was a shared tenderness and delight in their first encounter,” said Rakovic. “Edith and her family treated Ozzie like he was a star and in turn I know he brought them great joy. A real friendship blossomed between them and that is what makes our visits so rewarding.

“My role is to guide Ozzie through the myriad people to visit and all of the tight spots that we have to get into so that people who are bed or wheelchair bound can reach to touch him. For some of the residents, my visit with Ozzie is the highlight of their day. When they see us, their eyes widen, they break out huge smiles while they motion for us to visit and proceed to tell us how happy they are to see him. Many of the residents had pets before moving to MHHCC and miss them dearly. They often reminisce about their precious furry friends and get to relive a few minutes of ‘fur touch’ with Ozzie.”

The dog therapy program at MHHCC has been so successful that Ozzie and Rakovic are now providing orientations for new P&P volunteers who are greyhound adopters, most of who have come through Greyhound Friends. In just a short while, Ozzie has become a pro and at his volunteer work.

“Greyhound Friends and the Pets and People Foundation are a wonderful example of two animal related not-for-profit organizations collaborating to support the greater good of the communities of the Commonwealth.”

See more Ozzie and Ann Marie photos here.