With a gentle presence, pet therapy teams bring quiet companionship, comfort and connection to patients at Hospice House, their loved ones, and Granite VNA team members who care for them. One such team is Laurie Dockham and Noodle, a retired racing Greyhound.

“With my first therapy dog, Dream, we mainly visited hospice patients at Epsom Manor and at the hospice wing at Merrimack County Nursing Home,” Laurie said. “During the pandemic, before facilities fully reopened, we began greeting at Hospice House. Dream retired in 2022, and Noodle took over. Now Noodle and I go to Hospice House every Sunday to greet guests, visit patients, and bring a little joy to the staff.”

Laurie said being able to share Noodle’s unconditional love with people when they need it most means everything to her. A woman on hospice who had raised and shown Collies in her younger years stands out as a memory.

“We had a few more lovely visits after we met her for the first time,” Laurie said. “On our last visit, she was actively dying. Her LNA asked if I’d like to say goodbye, and she and a nurse gently repositioned her so Noodle could lie beside her. I spoke softly to let her know Noodle was there and told her it was okay to go and that she wasn’t alone.”

“About thirty minutes later, as I was getting ready to leave, the staff told me she had just passed,” Laurie said. “Knowing that she had Noodle with her at the end, especially since she had no family, meant everything to me.”

Moments like the one Laurie and Noodle experienced highlight the quiet, profound impact pet therapy teams have on patients at Hospice House every day. Through their quiet presence, gentle companionship, and unconditional love, teams like Laurie and Noodle provide comfort when words are not enough, ensuring that no one feels alone and that even in life’s final chapter, there is warmth, dignity, and connection.