The residents at Good Shepherd Rehabilitation and Nursing Center know what Tuesday afternoons mean: a special visitor.
For more than a year, Carol Krygowski has been going to the Jaffrey facility with her 6-year-old Belgian Tervuren, Henri. Named after her great grandfather, Henri has been in a nursing home setting since he was a 9-week-old puppy.
“Every day I went to work he came with me,” Krygowski said. “That particular facility liked animals and they encouraged people to bring their animals, so he got used to the noises of a nursing home.”
Since she lives in Rindge, it’s not a long commute or a lot of her time – especially when she sees the impact Henri’s visits have on the residents. So every Tuesday, armed with a pocketful of treats, Krygowski and Henri walk the halls of Good Shepherd.
“He really likes elderly people and he really grew up in this atmosphere,” Krygowski said. “And I enjoyed working with the elderly. I spent 20 years working in long-term care, so I wanted to volunteer. I missed the atmosphere.”
There are stops in individual rooms for brief chats and some pets. After a year and more than 50 visits, Krygowski has a good idea which of the longterm residents want to see Henri, so Krygowski has a loop she does to make sure she passes by the rooms where Henri is most sought. Henri gets lots of compliments and plenty of love from the residents, because it’s clear they’ve been waiting to see him all day.
“You can get a good idea of who likes dogs, and there are some people who don’t or might be allergic,” Krygowski said.
When it comes to new people, the staff will tell Krygowski if they’re dog lovers or she’ll hear comments as the pair walk by, and usually she’ll poke her head in to see if a stop is wanted. Henri is very loved by the residents and constantly told that he’s such a good boy. That pocket full of low calorie treats is a nice bonus for all his hard work.
As they wander through the halls, they stop in common areas to see others and that’s where Henri can really show off his skills, like rolling over, standing and weaving between Krygowski’s legs.
“The residents get a kick out of his tricks,” she said.
As an active show dog, Henri has quite the history. He’s gone to the Westminster Dog Show as a herding breed and brought home a number of showawards, competing under his AKC name, Birch GG Hermes The Herdsman. Krygowski said he was named a grand champion in 2017. Henri also competes in lure coursing, where he chases a plastic bag on a specially designed 600-yard course. And to top it all off, he’s been awarded canine good citizen awards and got an AKC therapy patch for his 50th visit to Good Shepherd.
Krygowski actually worked at Good Shepherd on two different occasions during her career.
“I still remember some of my residents from years ago,” she said. “You don’t forget.”
And sure, Henri enjoys the love and his seemingly endless supply of treats, but Krygowski knows how much their visits mean to the residents each week. That’s why they keep going back.
“I think he missed it,” Krygowski said of being in a nursing home facility. “He likes people and this is more his population. Plus he likes being the center of attention.”