Thirty years of sharing empathy through visits with her dogs

"My mother's best nurse is her little dog." Those are the words that Katharine shared with Dr. Bill McCulloch, co-founder of Delta Society, now Pet Partners. In the early 1990's Katharine had just returned from visiting her mother who had Alzheimer's and was being cared for in her home in Massachusetts. When Katharine arrived back home in Portland, Ore., she drove directly to the Alzheimer's Disease Center of Oregon to gather information about the disease. That's when she met Bill, who at that time was administrator director of the organization.

Meeting Bill, who shared information with Katharine about Alzheimer's as well as the significance of the human-animal bond, launched Katharine's long -time relationship with Pet Partners as well as an ongoing friendship with Bill.

After completing 17 evaluations with her dogs, Katharine admits she still gets butterflies before each evaluation. Each of her dogs has passed with flying colors, beginning with her first registered therapy dogs, Karisto and Philia.

During an evening visit to Shriner's Hospital in Portland, Katharine still remembers the time when Karisto knew what was needed more than she did when entering a patient's room. The lights were off in the room, and as Katharine was quietly backing out so not to wake the child, Karisto was pulling forward insistent on entering the room. The child was asleep, but a woman was seated next to the bed. She placed her hands on each side of Karisto's head and began crying, while Katharine stood by as a quiet witness. The woman told Katharine how much she needed that contact with Karisto and thanked her over and over in whispers.

Now Katharine and Toby, her current registered Pet Partners dog, make the rounds every other week at Samaritan North Lincoln City Hospital. Not only do they visit patients, they also visit the administration offices, bringing smiles to the staff. Katharine's involvement extends beyond weekly visits, she is also the vice-chair of Pet Partners of the Oregon Coast.

Over the 30 years that Katharine has been involved with Pet Partners, making donations in memory of friends' and family members' pets, she and her husband Goody decided to leave a legacy to our organization through her will. In her words, "the power of this work is its simplicity, meeting people, being with my dog and sharing my dog with others."

We are honored by the many talents and time that Katharine has shared with Pet Partners and her community as well as her being part of our Caring Community, which includes the thoughtful individuals who have included Pet Partners in their estate plan.