“My husband works in computers and I know computer problem are horrendous in our society, and I realized the people who work there must be under a lot of stress,” Combs said. “I felt that if in some way I could alleviate some of their stress and give back to someone who is giving to our community I was inclined to do so.”
So early Tuesday morning, Combs and her Shetland Sheepdog, Tazzy, headed for the Operations Command Center of Kettering Health for their first assignment. They were joined by two other MVPTA members and their dogs.
Although Combs wasn’t sure what to expect, she said she considers herself a “people person” and knew Tazzy would get along well with everyone.
That turned out to be an understatement. As they made their way past the cubicles where more than 100 folks were on computers and phones, Tazzy was welcomed with embraces, strokes, petting and face-to-face contact.
“I needed some fur therapy,” one employee told Tazzy. Another had recently lost his own dog and said he really needed this visit.
Eric Castle, a transportation dispatcher, said the dogs really helped morale. “With everything going on, we’re all dealing with a lot of stress,” said Castle, who owns a Goldendoodle named Murphy.
“Who doesn’t love dogs? You could just see everybody kinda light up.”
Making contact
Katie Miller, an administrative assistant at Kettering’s operations command center, was responsible for arranging the visits. A second group of dogs and their owners were scheduled to visit Wednesday.
“We have been working through the systemwide outage and I’m tasked with making sure everyone has what they need,” Miller said. “When I was walking around the building I overheard people saying they wished they could bring their dog to work or pet their puppies. I reached out to senior leadership to ask if I could ask my friends at MVPTA to visit.”
Miller, who owns two dogs, said the employees were excited to take a break and interact for a moment with their friendly visitors.
“I think dogs make everybody happy,” she said. “They are always happy to see you. They have a second sense and just know when someone needs a little extra TLC.”
About the Author
