A Special Breed of Medicine

These may be the dog days of August, but Scooby doesn’t seem the worse for wear. Looking cool and unruffled with a red bandanna tied loosely around his neck, the confident mutt walked down the halls of Sherman Oaks Hospital’s Transitional Care Unit on a warm Monday afternoon, greeting staff members and patients with a vigorous wagging of his tail.

The yellow Labrador retriever-German shepherd mix and his owner, Abbie Jaye, eventually settled into chairs in Annette Najarian’s room, where the patient gratefully accepted her canine visitor’s kisses.

“It’s heaven to have him here,” Najarian said as she scratched the dog’s head. “The love Abbie and Scooby give has such a calming effect on me. They’re very special.”

Vera Newmeyer, a patient down the hall, agreed. “I look forward to his visits. He’s a good friend.”

Jaye, 39, and Scooby, 11, are volunteers with the hospital’s animal-assisted therapy program, which sends the duo to recuperating patients to bring cheer, compassion and a welcome distraction.

The pet program, which allows patients to stroke, hold and groom a variety of tame animals, is the most popular activity in the hospital’s recreational therapy program, which includes music therapy and other activities designed to lessen anxiety.

“You just look at Annette and you can see what this therapy means,” said Mitch Leichter, the hospital’s recreational therapist. “Abbie has an incredibly outgoing personality, and Scooby is nonthreatening. They’re a perfect pair.”

Jaye, a longtime animal-rights activist, became involved in pet-assisted therapy about 10 years ago. She said the work was a natural extension of her years-long effort to rescue dogs and share her love of animals with others.

“My dream would be to take all the dogs in the pound and unite them with all the people who are lonely and need the company,” Jaye said.

In addition to their twice-weekly visits at Sherman Oaks Hospital, Jaye and Scooby take their special skills to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank.

Jaye, a petite brunet who can barely contain her enthusiasm for her volunteer work, also takes Scooby with her when she talks to young arthritis patients through her volunteer efforts with the Arthritis Foundation. Scooby, who suffers from arthritis, serves as an inspiration to the children, Jaye said.

“With the dog there, the children are more comfortable talking about their disease. We tell the kids that Scooby still swims, and that they can do it, too. His presence reassures them.”

Jaye, her husband, Charles Shrewsbury, and Scooby will attend the Arthritis Foundation’s Camp Esperanza in Big Bear later this month, where the dog will swim and cavort with the young campers.

Jaye, a Sherman Oaks apartment manager, rescued Scooby, who had been badly abused by his owner, when the dog was a year old. After 12 months of obedience training, Scooby began “working” at the Jewish Home for the Aging in Reseda and has comforted residents there for more than six years.

Stroke patients are allowed to brush the dog’s coat as part of their physical therapy, and he and Jaye have also visited patients at Grossman Burn Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital.

“My dog gets to people when medicine can’t,” Jaye said. “I’ve seen people in comas, and we take their hands and have them pet Scooby, and the patient responds. There’s nothing better.”

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