Joyful sounds break the reserved quiet expected in a hospice setting as Rummy happily waltzes into a room.

The patient – a small, frail-looking man tucked into the bed with eyes closed – is surrounded by those who care about him.

“You’re exactly what I needed,” one woman says, reaching down to pat the bernadoodle’s thick coat.

Rummy responds to the human happiness with a gleeful grin, giving in to the pets, and awaiting direction from owner/handler Celine Foucher to perch on the bed and provide comfort to the man.

It’s the moment he’s been anticipating since Foucher put on his blue PATS (Pacific Animal Therapy Society) bandana in the parking lot at Victoria Hospice.

Six-year-old Rummy loves this work, Foucher says. “He’s built for this work” and even thrives on it. The animated excite

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