(Bill Zars/Daily Herald) Dorothy Bott of Mount Prospect, a volunteer at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, introduces a cuddle new friend.

The road to recovery following surgery or a serious illness is often a lengthy and painful journey. Sometimes the healing process can be speeded up by a pair of sparkling eyes, a wagging tail, or a tiny, furry body that is eagerly waiting to be cuddled or played with. Dorothy Bott of Mount Prospect has been volunteering with the Puppy Program at Advocate Lutheran General Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge since its inception 25 years ago. Each week she drives to Skokie where she picks up two, four-legged friends and brings them to visit with the children, their families, and staff members in the children’s playroom at the hospital. She also makes another trip each week so that the patients in the Adult Therapy Unit may also enjoy visiting with the puppies. Bott doesn’t have any pets of her own, but she receives tremendous satisfaction from watching the faces of the children and adult patients when they see the puppies being brought in to visit. “The Puppy Program is a way of bringing the outside, indoors,” she said. “Some of the patients have never been that close to an animal before so sometimes it takes a while for them to feel comfortable, but it usually doesn’t take long for them to bond with their playful, canine visitors. It has been reported that some children who are just coming out of surgery tell staff members that they must get back upstairs immediately because the puppies are coming. It brightens everyone’s day to watch the expression on the faces of the patients as they cuddle, play with, and pass around the puppies, and for at least a few minutes they are able to think about something besides their illness.”

"In order for the program to be successful, there must be a great deal of cooperation between staff and volunteers," Bott said. It must be determined that the patients are not allergic to animals, and great care must be taken to keep the visiting area clean and sanitary. The dogs are all small, and none of them are more than 2 ½ months old."

Linda Bensing, a Child Life Specialist, co-founder of the Puppy Program, and Volunteer Coordinator for the Child Life Program, explained that the program grew out of a vision held by the late Dr. Seymour Metrick who was Pediatrics Division Chairman at that time. She said it took a lot of hard work over a period of 18 months to get the program organized and running, but its success over the past 25 years has certainly been worth the time and effort put forth by everyone involved. The program, currently called Animal Assisted Therapy, is part of the Child Life Program. Bensing said that the Puppy Program is very therapeutic for any hospitalized person, especially children, and it motivates recovery both physically and emotionally, as well as being used for pain management and distraction.

Bensing is grateful for the almost 4,000 hours of volunteer service provided by Bott. “Dorothy’s enthusiasm is endless,” she said. “She started with the program in the beginning, and is also a regular weekly volunteer at ALGH. She is always willing to come in extra, and to help with special events.”

Bott is 85 years young, but is too busy to even consider slowing down and taking life a bit easier. Her hobbies include reading and crocheting, and she loves traveling, geographic movies and books. She is a proud member of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, and volunteers with the reading program at North School and Plainfield School in Des Plaines. In spite of all her activities, Bott still finds time to spend quality time with her family which includes her son, Don; daughter, Debi; and grandson, Kevin.

The Volunteer Center of Northwest Suburban Chicago and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Northern Cook and Northern DuPage Counties match people who are willing to be of service to others, with local not-for-profit agencies that are in need of volunteers. People of all ages are urged to call TVC at 847-228-1320 (all ages) or RSVP at 847-228-1006 (seniors 55 years of age or better) or to log on to their website www.volunteerinfo.net for further information. No experience is required, and training is provided.

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