Lisa Jones and her dog Rookie have been volunteering with Paws & Think for over four years and have been able to make a positive impact by visiting all different types of venues as a therapy team. Lisa is an RN who has worked as a realtor and broker for the past 16 years, and she says her favorite part of volunteering with Paws & Think is seeing the difference that Rookie makes in people’s lives – “He can help in a way that humans can’t.” Lisa is passionate about Paws & Think because she can see the value that it has in the community.
Together Lisa and Rookie have had many memorable experiences volunteering. In our end-of-year appeal, we highlighted the story of Rookie’s visit with an unresponsive stroke patient who had a breakthrough moment in his recovery when he was able to speak to Rookie and feed him a treat. On another visit at IU, Rookie and Lisa went into the room of a woman who was terminally ill. Her husband, who was grieving, was skeptical about allowing Rookie to visit. “What good will this dog do?” he asked. When his wife placed her hand on Rookie’s head, everyone was amazed to see her heart rate decreasing on the monitor, proof of Rookie’s calming effect on her even in such a dire time.
Rookie, an English Yellow Lab, has been with Lisa since he was 11 months old and has been volunteering since he was a year and a half. Lisa is married and has three sons and three daughters-in-law, and when she is not volunteering with Rookie she enjoys needlepoint, reading, and volunteering with women who are overcoming addiction. Their family has two new additions – Lisa’s first grandchild, and a new English Yellow Lab puppy, who Lisa hopes can also become a therapy dog someday.
