By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
When she moved into Wood Haven Health Care, Ann Dewese had to give up her animals.
That nearly broke her heart.
“I’ve always had animals,” said Dewese. “I love animals. They do my heart so good.”
So when Wood Haven started its new “Dare-to-Dream” program, Dewese had a request. She wanted a pet.
Wood Haven staff took Dewese to the Wood County Humane Society to find a feline companion.
“I was sitting there in my wheelchair, and they were kind of skittish,” Dewese said of the cats. But then Butterscotch came up to her.
“She reached her paw out, and I thought, ‘That’s it. She’s the one.’”
Butterscotch’s personality matches Dewese’s.
“She’s inquisitive. She’s colorful,” said Dewese, whose hair is dyed bright blue.
Once the orange cat arrived at her new home, the staff started suggesting names. One came up with Butterscotch.
“That’s the perfect name,” Dewese said, as Butterscotch stretched out at the foot of her bed.
While the humane society waived its adoption fees for the cat, the Dare-to-Dream program paid for the supplies – like the collar with a bell, a self-cleaning litter box, cat bed, self-filling water and food bowls, and plenty of cat toys.
“She’s spoiled already,” Dewese said.
It’s a perfect match.
“I feel full now,” Dewese said. “I needed something. I don’t get out much because of the wheelchair. When I saw her there at the humane society, I felt complete. She’s what I’ve been looking for.”
Jeff Orlowski, director of Wood Haven, said the Dare-to-Dream program was started to make the residents happy.
“We want a dream to bring a smile to someone’s face,” he said.
Wood Haven has long had an open door policy for visiting pets.
“We encourage people to bring their pets in,” Orlowski said. There are no regulations stating that nursing home facilities can’t have pets.
“We did our homework,” he said.
On Thursday when Butterscotch arrived, Orlowski’s dog was visiting for the day.
Wood Haven Health Care’s Dare-to-Dream program was created to show residents that even at their advanced ages, some of their dreams can still come true.
Most of the dream requests fall into the categories of:
- Dream to go somewhere, like a sporting event, concert, Cedar Point or senior prom.
- Dream to be someone for a day, like a firefighter, coach, zookeeper or chef.
- Dream to get something like a computer, new suit or new dress.
- Dream to take an adventure, like a hot air balloon ride, a motorcycle ride, train ride or go zip lining.
Wood Haven accepts donations from the public to help the facility make the dreams of residents come true.
