OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center issued the following announcement on Jan. 25.
This week’s #VolunteerSpotlight features Mike Perry, who has been volunteering at OSF for a year and a half. Mike works as part of the Animal Assisted Therapy Program with his dog, Rocky. They can usually be seen in the North Tower on Monday or Tuesday evenings.
“My wife had rescued a Blue Heeler puppy and we began training the dog, but after a month or so the dog wasn’t responding to basic obedience commands. She had the idea to check the dog’s hearing by banging a pan over his head when he was sleeping, at which point we figured out he was deaf,” he said. “What’s really interesting about the fact she picked out a deaf dog is that she works full time as a teacher with deaf and hard of hearing children. I tell her all the time that the dog picked her out.”
Mike is married with four children. He is a plant manager for CMC Steele where they fabricate rebar for high rises. In his free time, Mike enjoys hiking, fishing, or doing home improvement projects.
“I get a kick out of hearing about all the different pets people have had throughout their lives. I also find it interesting to watch Rocky interact with each patient differently, he seems to know exactly what each person enjoys or needs,” he said.
If you would like to give back like Mike and our many volunteers, please contact Kim Anderson at 815-395-5064 or http://osf.care/aveg50y4517
Original source can be found here.
Source: OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center
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