For the love of dogs…

7th January 2025

Going the extra mile for patients’ canine companions

At St Luke’s, taking good care of our patients is about paying attention to what really matters to them… and that includes their important relationships with the dogs that share their lives.

Worrying about what will happen to their faithful canine companion can weigh heavily on a patient’s mind in their final days and weeks. Partners, family members or friends are often only too happy to take on a loved one’s pet, but that’s not always possible. That’s when our compassionate teams go above and beyond to help find the right solution. They’ve even been known to adopt a patient’s dog themselves.

Community team specialist health care assistant Marianne Smith stepped in a couple of months ago to find a new owner for patient Christine’s little dog, Roddy. The cute and fluffy white Kokoni had already had a difficult start in life. He was found as a stray puppy on the streets of Cyprus, and he’d been Christine’s loyal pal for around four years.

‘Knowing he was OK meant she felt able to let go’

Clinical nurse specialist Teresa Bickle was helping Christine put together an advance care plan, noting down what was important to her as she came closer to the end of her life. Roddy’s future was, of course, a top priority and a huge source of anxiety.

With Christine’s health declining rapidly, she was having to move quickly from assisted living accommodation into a care home and she was desperate to find someone kind and dependable to look after her pet.

Teresa, who had adopted a patient’s dog – the very handsome Archie – five years earlier, immediately thought of her community team colleague, Marianne.

“Teresa knew that my own dog had died at the beginning of the year, so she got in touch with me about Roddy,” explained Marianne.

“I immediately said I would consider having him. I was on holiday in North Devon at the time, so we arranged a video call with Christine.

“She was really upset. She relied very heavily on Roddy for company, and she was there for him too. She just wanted to know that he was going somewhere where someone would love him. It was very important for her to know that he would be safe and cared for, so I said I would look after him.”

Christine moved into the care home leaving Roddy temporarily with a staff member at the assisted living facility overnight. When Marianne returned from holiday the next day she collected the little dog straight away.

“That evening we took Roddy in to see Christine at the care home. She was so relieved. She kept saying thank you for looking after my little boy. Thirty-six hours later she died peacefully. Knowing he was OK meant she felt able to let go.”

A forever home for Roddy

After a week Roddy wasn’t settling in at her home as well as Marianne had hoped, and she had to accept that plans don’t always work out.

“He was guarding random things in the house. I have young grandchildren who visit, so I was a bit concerned about that. I worked from home when I could, but when I had to go out, I’d check him on a doggy-cam and he didn’t seem happy. I decided it might not be the best idea to keep him myself, but I was determined to find him a good home,” she said.

Marianne sent out a message to the wider St Luke’s team asking for help to find Roddy a permanent new owner, as well as reaching out to Cyprus dog rescue organisations.

“I had so much support from everyone at St Luke’s. Having such a good community around you means you don’t feel on your own in a situation like that.”

Before long a relative of one of Christine’s old neighbours, whose own dog had died, offered to meet Roddy with a view to adopting him.

“I was so pleased when she and Roddy got on like a house on fire. Straight away it looked like they were meant to be together, and we arranged for her to take him. She has been in touch to say that he is settling well. She’s so happy to have him and he is happy to be with her,” said Marianne.

Best buddies Teresa and Archie

Fellow dog lover Teresa might have taken in Roddy herself if she didn’t already have Bedlington Terrier lurcher cross Archie, the dog she adopted when she was a staff nurse in our specialist unit at Turnchapel.

Teresa said: “I was looking after Archie’s ‘mum’, Heather. She was a clinical psychologist, full of character and we got on really well. She knew I was a dog lover and I’d told her that I had recently lost my staffie, Bindi.

“She kind of twisted my arm to have Archie! One weekend her sister-in-law brought him in to visit. She was looking after him temporarily, but she already had two big dogs of her own. And at our staff handovers it was mentioned that if Heather couldn’t rehome Archie, then he would have to be put to sleep. I just couldn’t let that happen.”

Teresa offered to take him home for the weekend. If he was good with her grandchildren and with the other dogs in the family, then she would consider keeping him. He’s been with her ever since.

“He’s 11 now and he’s had a lovely life,” said Teresa. “Heather was so relieved when I said I would have him. Her sister-in-law came to my house to see where he was going to be, and we took photos to show Heather.

“She lived for about three more weeks after that. I brought Archie into the unit to visit her, and she died peacefully knowing that he was comfortable and settled. I think spiritually Heather was able to rest in peace because she knew her dog was going to be cared for.”

The relationship Teresa has with Archie is a special one that has been mutually beneficial. “It certainly wasn’t just me doing a good service,” she said. “Archie quickly became a great companion for me, especially during Covid.”

Learn more about our care

Related articles

, ,

Cultivating care: The volunteers who keep our hospice gardens blooming

If you ever visit our specialist unit at Turnchapel one of the first things you will notice are the carefully cultivated gardens surrounding the hospice building. Every Wednesday a group of 6 volunteers have been giving up their time to dedicate some care and love to our gardens, keeping them pruned, de-weeded and full of life. Their hard work creates a peaceful, welcoming space for patients, families and staff to enjoy - a place where nature offers comfort and calm during difficult times.
, ,

BLOG: Why paramedic Jess swapped emergency sirens for hospice calm

Life as a paramedic was fast-paced, stressful and involved critical decisions every single day for Jess Timbrell. After several years of training and hands-on service on the road, she was both confident and qualified to respond in emergencies and make split-second choices to save people’s lives. But something was missing. “I always had an interest in palliative care,” said Jess. “As a paramedic, you go out to a lot of people who are at the end of life, but you can’t spend the time you want with them because emergency demand is so high. “It was so disheartening sitting with someone in an ambulance queue outside the hospital for hours, knowing they didn’t have long to live. And then when I did drop them off, I would never find out what happened to them.”
, ,

BLOG: Ben and Sean’s two-wheeled adventure for hospice care

Sean Holland and Ben Connex are taking on an epic adventure: riding from Land’s End to John O’Groats and back - a staggering 3,200 miles - on learner-legal 125cc motorcycles! This challenge is in memory of Sean’s brother, Colin, an avid motorcyclist, who was cared for by St Luke’s. Sean and Ben met back in 1998 on the Southwest clubbing scene and have since become firm friends and fellow riders. “We have always shared a love for two wheels and when the clubbing stopped, we became born again cyclists,” said Sean, Creative Director at NexPay, our card payment provider for all our shops.
, ,

BLOG: Santa, songs and smiles: Making Christmas memories at St Luke’s

St Luke’s was overflowing with Christmas spirit last Friday as staff went above and beyond to create a warm and joyful evening for current patients and their loved ones, as well as families who will be missing someone special for the first time this year. Team members from across our organisation came together, giving up their own time to create a magical occasion featuring sparkling decorations, festive refreshments, Christmas music and live seasonal songs from the Burraton Boys and a raffle with super prizes.
, ,

BLOG: Lighting up the season: TEC Construction brings Christmas cheer to Turnchapel

Our specialist unit at Turnchapel was filled with festive cheer last week as the kind-hearted TEC Construction helped us to light up our beautiful Christmas tree - standing tall enough for our patients to enjoy its sparkle from their windows. Thanks to TEC Construction and their local subcontractors at LTC Access Platform and ACD Electrical - the night’s sky was lit up with hundreds of multi-coloured lights and a shining star sitting atop of the impressive tree - watched on by our nurses, patients, family members and members of our community including children from Hooe Primary Academy who graced everyone with a selection of beautifully sung Christmas carols.
, ,

BLOG: Community spirit shines bright as Plympton street supports St Luke’s

Residents of Redvers Grove in Plympton, Plymouth have come together to light up their street in a dazzling display of festive cheer - all to raise vital funds for St Luke’s. Each of the neighbours on the street have adorned their houses and gardens with illuminating white Christmas lights, a tradition which started 24 years ago and has since grown as more and more people have moved to the street.
, ,

BLOG: Running for care: Darite’s festive dash

Darite Primary Academy near Liskeard brought the festive cheer to the moors with their amazing Rudolph Run! From Reception to Year 6, every child loved decorating their antlers, getting active in the fresh air, and raising money for a cause close to their hearts. Supporting St Luke’s means so much to this small but mighty school community, where families know first-hand the compassionate care we provide for loved ones at the end of life.
, ,

BLOG: Decking the Halls at Turnchapel

A sprinkling of Christmas cheer has brightened up our specialist unit this week. A group of kind-hearted volunteers from Land Registry, Plymouth volunteered their time to decorate the Christmas trees that have generously been donated to St Luke’s by Blue Diamond Endsleigh Garden Centre Ivybridge. The team spent the day adding touches of tinsel and baubles to the entrance, reception and on the wards, bringing some festive joy to not only the people staying with us, but their families, visitors and all our staff and volunteers.
, ,

BLOG: Coping at Christmas

Bereavement is hard at any time of year, but the festive season - and Christmas itself -can feel particularly challenging for anyone experiencing grief. No-one understands this more than us. As well as providing specialist end-of-life care for people with terminal illness, we offer their family members bereavement support too. This week (2-8 December) is National Grief Awareness Week, in association with The Good Grief Trust. The aim of the week is to raise awareness of grief, highlight the support on offer and to normalise conversations around it.
PreviousNext

Our Care

Support us

Courses

Information

BLOG: Fill a box to support our compassionate careBLOG: Government regulator CQC rates St Luke’s care ‘outstanding’