Award-Winning Lily Brings Relief to Hospital Patients & Staff
Story and photos by Craig Reed
Lily puts her nose on the side of the hospital bed. The young patient reaches out and pets her.
With a nod from Chuck Allured, Lily jumps up on the bed, lays down next to the patient’s legs, and puts her head on the patient’s chest. It brings a smile to the youngster.
Lily, a 3-year-old golden retriever and black Labrador mix, has provided this kind of therapy to patients at Mercy Hospital in Roseburg for almost 3 years.
“Nobody wants to be in a hospital,” says Chuck, who describes himself as Lily’s assistant. “Lily provides a momentary distraction from a stressful situation for the patients.”
After being nominated by Sutherlin veterinarian Robin White, Lily was recognized this year for her compassionate efforts by being inducted into the Oregon Animal Hall of Fame by the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association.
“I am a firm believer in the healing power of the human-animal bond,” Robin says. “Comfort with a no-strings-attached cuddle. Never mind the value of such therapy programs are scientifically backed time and time again”.
Robin says she guided Chuck in setting up the therapy dog program, but that Chuck and Lily did all of the hard work.
“If you had met Lily as a puppy—calm, fluffy, snuggles and tail wags—you’d agree it was obvious that Lily was destined to be a therapy dog,” she says.
Chuck and Lily have been on the team since she was 8 weeks old. He saw something in her early on. She had a calm demeanor and enjoyed being around people.
“All dogs want to do something, to have some kind of job,” says Chuck, a retiree who lives in the Oakland area. “I brought Lily around the hospital, sat and walked outside, and she gravitated to people who were sick or scared. I knew at that point, this was the environment she wanted to work in … comforting people.”
Chuck pitched the therapy dog idea to senior managers at Mercy, and they were open to the idea, although unsure how it would work. Several test situations went well, and the therapy program has been a success since.
Chuck credits Teresa Scott, the director of volunteers at the time, for embracing the program.
Lily was certified to be a therapy dog by Bright and Beautiful, a national therapy dog program based in New Jersey. Lily is now at the expert level of certification, having graduated through the American Kennel Club’s canine good citizen, advanced and urban levels. She has made about 250 visits to Mercy Hospital and many more to community events.
“The therapy dog program at Mercy is so special,” says Marcie Yoder, the volunteer coordinator for volunteer services at the hospital. “Our lead dog handler volunteer, Chuck, and chief therapy dog, Lily, are invaluable to Mercy’s staff and the patients. “To witness the power of a dog visiting a patient or their families is truly remarkable.
“Lily is compassion in action,” she adds. “Her presence can change the mood or tone of a room, both for patients and our own staff. Whether Lily is there to offer comfort, bring joy, or act as a distraction, she renders some magic that humans simply cannot. There’s just something about dogs. They can communicate with us without saying a word.”
For Chuck, the program is not just about the patients but also the dog.
“If Lily didn’t thoroughly enjoy what she does, I wouldn’t be doing this with her,” he says. “I really enjoy the reactions I see to Lily. I believe she’s doing a lot of good. I can’t imagine not doing this now.”
When Chuck worked in energy engineering, he was entrenched in business. Now retired, he wants to give back. Lily is helping him do that.
“I’m paying it back,” he says. “I’m done taking. I want to spread a little joy and happiness to people. It’s a ‘give’ thing.”
Lily’s success inspired Chuck to expand the number of dogs in the Mercy dog therapy program. Certified as an evaluator by Bright and Beautiful, he recruited more dog-handler teams through word of mouth. There are now another 8 dogs in the program. They passed the Canine Good Citizen Test, and their handlers were approved through the volunteer process. With 9 therapy dogs, at least 1 dog visits the hospital daily, Monday through Friday.
“You have to have a dog, you have to have time for training and implementing the therapy service, and you have to have resources,” Chuck says.
To help, Chuck established alluretherapydogs.com, a not-for-profit website accepting donations to support training, medical care, supplies, and certifications for dogs.
“It’s all volunteer,” Chuck says.
On the days Lily visits the hospital, she might wear a surgical cap, mask, or some other item that Chuck improvises to add a little more distraction and fun for patients and staff.
“Lily epitomized what they were looking for,” Robin says of the 2024 award. “Lily and Chuck deserve the recognition. She couldn’t be any more perfect.”