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The answer is at the Nathaniel Witherell’s annual Halloween edition of “Pooches on Parade" in Greenwich.
The event at the Nathaniel Witherell Short-Term Rehab and Skilled Nursing Center at 70 Parsonage Road in Greenwich attracted 20 four-legged friends, all dressed in creative costumes.
The dogs and their human companions mingled with dozens of Witherell residents, family, staff and volunteers in the auditorium. As befits a Halloween event, some of the dogs did special tricks for their treats.
Pooches on Parade is more than Halloween fun, however. It is the formal part of the Witherell’s pet-therapy program, according to Sally Van Leeuwen, Witherell’s volunteer coordinator, who said the highly anticipated event takes place four times a year.
“Witherell also welcomes individual dog and owner teams to come in on a more informal basis and go around the building on their own, coming when it is convenient for them and working it into their own schedules,” she said. “We have regular weekday as well as weekend pet therapy volunteers. Visitors usually spend 30 to 60 minutes going around the building and interacting with any dog lovers they come across. There is even a very special, well-behaved lap cat named Boots, who makes regular visits and brings great joy to the cat lovers among our residents."
For more information on bringing a dog to an upcoming Pooches on Parade and/or becoming a Witherell pet therapy volunteer, please call Van Leeuwen at 203-618-4228 or e-mail her at sallyvanl@live.com.
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