Paws-itive Vibes: Seniors Delighted by Third Annual Puppy Parade at Heritage Lodge

by Stephen Dafoe

Seniors’ Week at Heritage Lodge started off on the right paw Monday, June 5, with the lodge’s Third Annual Puppy Parade.

Activities Coordinator Courtney Farmer called out to the community for a Puppy Parade for the Lodge residents. Once again, the community came out with their dogs in support. About a dozen pups and their human companions visited with seniors Monday afternoon.

“When we started it, we wanted to see if the community would be interested in doing it, and there was a good amount of people who were,” Farmer said, noting she was pleased with this year’s turnout.

Although initially envisioned as a parade of dogs on leashes, Farmer said the meet and greet with seniors is better.

“Animals are great for therapy, but this is a good interaction with animals and the seniors,” she said. “It’s great for the community to come out and interact with the seniors and learn a bit about what we do here. It’s great to get everybody together.”

One senior who enjoyed Monday’s outing is Heritage Lodge resident Larry Sales. “It’s pretty nice,” Sales said of the visit, adding he did not have a favourite of the four-legged visitors.

Having the dogs around was a familiar experience for Heritage Lodge resident Jeannine Provencal. “We always had a dog at home, you know,” she said. “It’s nice. This is nice.”

One human companion who brought her dog, Miss Charlie, out to meet the seniors was Kim Grant.

“I just wanted to get her socialized a little more, and I thought this was a nice way to start,” Grant said.

Morinville resident Danny Getzlaf brought his dog Gizmo, named after the character in Gremlins, to visit the seniors.

“I heard there was an opportunity to bring them out for the parade, and what a better way to showcase our dogs in our community,” he said.

The parade of dogs is the second recent furry visitor event. The Lodge had baby chicks visiting with them until the end of May.