Lake Humane Society brings animals to visit seniors at Mentor assisted living center

John Butler, The News-Herald, Willoughby, Ohio
·2 min read

Sep. 16—The Enclave of Newell Creek, an assisted living center in Mentor, partnered with Lake Humane Society this week to bring in dogs and kittens to brighten the day of their residents.

Jessica Dougherty, the director of sales and marketing at the Enclave, said that National Assisted Living Week went into full effect as of Sept. 10 with the aim of celebrating joy with the patrons they assist.

"Our theme this year is celebrating joy, and our residents love puppies. So, we reached out to the Lake Humane Society to do an event and they jumped on the idea," Dougherty said. "Anytime we bring in animals it brightens their day. It is amazing to see the happiness they bring."

Humane Society volunteers brought in their mutts Bourbon and Bistro, a pair of 3- to 4-year-old dogs that lovingly walked about the wings of the center with their tails excitedly wagging. Accompanying Bourbon and Bistro was the kitten Football, a cat born without a tail who was passed around to the seniors so that they could enjoy petting the small feline.

Both Lake Humane Society and Enclave encourage residents to adopt an animal, not only to give their dogs and cats a loving home but to enrich the lives of residents and help bolster their mental health.

"We love working with the Lake Humane Society. They do fantastic work, and they really know how to put a smile on our residents' faces," Dougherty said. "We always look forward to events like this to see the smiles of our residents and the little furry friends they bring as well."

The Enclave has several residents who currently own animals within their housing and apartments.

"Everybody appreciates animals," Lake Humane Society volunteer Nancy Irle said. "Bourbon and Bistro are great ambassadors for us. There is nothing better than watching how happy they make people."

The Humane Society shelter, located at 7564 Tyler Blvd., has a variety of animals up for adoption, including Bistro, Bourbon and Football. All their animals have received fully up-to-date shots and are spayed and neutered. Additionally, their animals are microchipped so that they can be tracked should the animals become lost.

Anyone looking to adopt a pet can contact the organization at 440-951-6122.