Young Dog’s Legacy Brings Joy To Palliative Care Patients

By Holly Gainer

Rodney Tucker, M.D., and Billy Connelley knew that Anna, their Shih Tzu puppy, was unique the moment they brought her home.

“Anna was a very special little puppy who had the charm of a tiny soul,” said Tucker, director of the Center for Palliative and Supportive Care at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “She really ran to everyone with her tongue out wanting to make sure you noticed that she loved you. She never met a stranger and just had a special healing quality to her.”

Tucker and Connelley had planned to train her as a pet partner for Hand in Paw, an organization that aims to improve the health and well-being of others by sending professionally trained Animal-Assisted Therapy Teams into medical centers, schools and various businesses.Unfortunately, Anna died before she was old enough to train to be a volunteer.

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