A teenage boy with Huntington’s disease could move only a finger, but his eyes lit up as he held the therapy dog’s leash a month before he died in hospice care.
An elderly woman couldn’t have any visitors in her room due to the coronavirus, but her spirit soared on Easter Sunday when she saw that same dog — dressed in bunny ears — through her window.
Twin girls at a camp for grieving children were reluctant to share their feelings about the murder of their father, but they opened up while petting this canine named Beethoven.
He’s a 7-year-old, 100-pound, marvelous mix of American bulldog, Shar-Pei, Alaskan malamute, bullmastiff and terrier. And he’s deaf.
But thanks to his handler, Muscogee County Sheriff’s Deputy Cynthia “Shanon” Zeisloft — better known as Lt. Z or simply Z — this dynamic Columbus duo has turned that disability into a beneficial ability.
Out of more than 260 nominations in the United States, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization has selected Z and Beethoven as the winner of the 2020 Volunteers are the Foundation of Hospice Award in the category of Specialized Volunteer for Pet Therapy Services and Pet Peace of Mind.
Katie Greene, volunteer coordinator for Columbus Hospice of Georgia & Alabama, explained why she nominated Z and Beethoven.
“No matter what I ask, she’s willing to help out,” Greene told the Ledger-Enquirer. “Whether it’s come do therapy with Beethoven for staff and volunteers and patients, or help out with transporting pets to and from vet appointments when their owners can’t, Z is a helper.”
Z didn’t know about the nomination, so winning the award was an even bigger surprise.
“I was very honored by that,” she told the L-E.
From jaded to empathetic
Beethoven, adopted from Paws Humane, is a therapy dog owned by the sheriff’s office. He was certified five years ago after six months of training through Pet Partners, based in Washington state.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared in March, Z and Beethoven made 15-20 visits per month to the jail, hospices, hospitals, nursing homes, schools and libraries.
Since then, they’ve been to St. Francis Hospital twice just to visit staff, three or four times to Spring Harbor so residents could see Beethoven through their windows, and a few visits to the jail.
“Now, he’s not doing anything,” Z said, “and he doesn’t understand why I’m leaving him at home.”
But she took advantage of the downtime to get crisis-team certified with Beethoven.
These visits with Beethoven have made Z more empathetic, she said.
“Being in law enforcement, I get jaded,” she said. “Well, having Beethoven has changed that perspective for me. … It’s changed my perspective on being nicer to people.”
Donna Morgan, CEO of Columbus Hospice, called the visits from Z and Beethoven “life-changing” for the staff as well. The hospice house has 25 rooms, 158 employees and 123 volunteers, who serve more than 1,200 new patients per year in the hospice house, personal residences, assisted living centers and nursing homes.
“Animals are very calming, very soothing,” she said. “Unconditional love is an understatement. … They accept us. They don’t care if we’re having a bad day. They make it better, and they don’t know what we’re normally like. They still love us despite being ourselves. It’s just very soothing.”
Z cherishes the memories of patients gushing with joy when Beethoven enters their room or they glimpse him walking down the hall. She keeps a journal of the especially touching moments among the thousands of visits they have made during the past five years.
“It’s really cool to know that that’s probably the last time they’re going to see a dog,” she said, “and I feel privileged to be a part of that.”
Z calls Beethoven “a rock star” in popularity and “chill” in temperament.
“I’m very fortunate to witness and be a part of him making an impact to the people that are here,” she said. “It’s a blessing to see.”
Training
Dane Collins, the jail’s former commander, asked Z in 2015 whether she would be interested in implementing a therapy dog program.
The timing was right. Her father and her dog had died that year, so this was a constructive way for Z to channel her grief.
“The next thing I know,” she said, “(Beethoven) and I are out in the hot August sun training and learning hand signals and doing all this stuff.”
Paws Humane named Beethoven after the famous classical music composer, who gradually lost his hearing. Beethoven was born deaf, but Z considers his disability an advantage for a therapy dog, especially in the jail.
“He’s not susceptible to the banging, the loud noises, the screaming,” she said.
Credit: Gainesville Police Department
Credit: Gainesville Police Department
Z uses hand signals to give Beethoven commands, such as sit, stay, fist bump and even talk — or bark.
She tells children who like to read to speak with Beethoven so he can feel the vibrations of their voices.
“It’s the coolest thing,” she said. “Some of them are really, really shy. But when you bring the dog into the classroom, they really open up.”
The only time she recalled Beethoven acting out of control is when a child approached him while holding an ice cream cone. It was level with Beethoven’s mouth, so he naturally ate it.
Z also laughed as she recalled when the inappropriate eating went the other way. A patient with dementia blissfully ate the dog treats she was given to feed Beethoven.
Impact
Z took photos of Beethoven’s visit with that teenager battling Huntington’s disease. When she gave them to his grateful father, “he lost it,” she said.
The boy didn’t recognize Z and Beethoven during their next visit a few weeks later. The father requested them to return that night, and the boy remembered them.
“I really felt like they had a good connection,” she said.
Several more weeks later, when the father told her that his son had died, Z recalled, “the father was so thankful for Beethoven.”
No wonder Beethoven is featured among 38 therapy and service dogs in the 2017 book “Loyal” by National Geographic.
“We deal with some very heavy things here at hospice sometimes,” Greene said. “We get to help people and families that have some of the hardest times in their lives, and (Z and Beethoven) bring a lightness to the situation, something that can take their minds off some of the hardships that they’re going through and some of the difficult decisions.”
Beethoven and Z show how human beings can comfort folks in distress — even when they don’t have a pet to lead the way.
“Being your genuine self,” Greene said, “being present with them, even if you’re not saying anything, just being a presence for people, a genuine presence, where they know that you really want to be there and help them, means so much.”
