Parade of dogs delight residents at Riverview Health Centre

A herd of dogs paid visit to patients and residents at Riverview Health Centre during an annual event that lifts spirits and wags tails.

This year’s dog parade saw about 30 pups march around the South Osborne neighbourhood facility on Saturday morning while residents looked on.

“It just brings joy to everybody,” Jenna Vandurme, Riverview’s therapeutic recreation facilitator, told CTV News. “It brings a sense of excitement, but also afterwards, there’s a feeling of happiness and calmness with that.”

Vandurme said the first parade happened during the COVID-19 pandemic when public health restrictions were in place – meaning pet therapy and visits from family pets weren’t allowed.

“That was one of the major needs for a lot of residents I was dealing with. They all kept on asking, ‘when can our families bring our pets in?’” Vandurme explained. “[The parade] was designed so people on the main floor could see, and then further out, we had windows open for the residents [on other floors] to see. The smiles were the best part of it.”

The parade was such a hit Riverview staff decided to turn it into an annual celebration.

Saturday’s procession started outside in the rain before the dogs and their owners headed in for some one-on-one time with the palliative care facility’s patients and residents.

“A majority of people have had pets at some point in their life,” Vandurme said. “What we’re trying to do is make this as much as their home as possible.”

It’s not the only time Riverview’s therapeutic recreation team has brought animals into the health centre. Last September, two miniature horses went room-to-room visiting with residents.

“Pet therapy actually helps to calm people,” Vandurme explained. “Just even the act of petting can actually help calm anxiety, or it can elevate a mood if you have depression.”

Vandurme said these types of experiences don’t just benefit the residents and staff – it’s an opportunity to build community in and around Riverview.

“It really kind of brings people together. And when you have a whole bunch of people smiling, you can just kind of feel that feeling of calmness and positivity travel.”