DOUBLE THE FUN! Aunty Florence of Kula Hospital holds MAAC Bunny - Aunty Flo!

We love our Aunty Flo, both of them! Aunty Flo (the person) has been visiting with our therapy animals for the past 3 years that I can remember (could be longer). Although, finding her with a bunny in her arms is totally recent. You see... Aunty Flo originally only requested to hold our special therapy chickens throughout these years; offer her a rabbit, a guinea pig or a dog and the answer was "No!" Not just a little no, but a GREAT BIG ONE. She loved the therapy chickens and that was it! I fondly recall all the times she held our experienced chickens (Sammy, Sally, Suzie, George, Weezie & Flo) and those that were in training (Samantha, Bob, Smoke, Ashley, Reddy, Sampson, & Maryjane). We especially relied on her special connection and skills with our feathered ones in training. They would lovingly sleep in her arms as she held them, and that is pretty amazing as that shows a deep level of trust upon the chicken.

Camp Imua campers enjoying two tents full of therapy animals.

This past year, we noticed that Aunty Flo was losing interest in our program. Her normal vibrant (or should I say... feisty) self had slipped away and not even our cutest fluffiest chicken could turn her around. Yes, she still came for the group sessions (anywhere from 30 - 70 patients), but alas, her active participation changed into passive participation (only watching others hold the animals and chickens). This concerned me greatly and for months I longed for her to come back to us in the way we remembered. Nevertheless, not giving up, we always brought her the chickens only for her to excuse herself from holding them. And in the event that she changed her mind, we offered her a rabbit, guinea pig or dog. One thing didn't change, she said, "No!"

Then one day while talking with the Kula Hospital Activities staff about the arrival of our newborn baby bunnies, one of the staff members asked what we would name them. At the time, I just so happened to be standing next to Aunty Flo, who was listening to our conversation and chimed in with, "No one has ever named an animal after me."

I said to her, "Auntie Flo... we will name a bunny after you if you like."

My eyes beheld a twinkle in her eye, a spark not seen for a long time. Maybe, perhaps maybe, this would bring her back to us.

She replied, "Yes... name one after me!"

Alexis Pleiss and Camp Imua campers with Bella

Sooooooo..... two months later when the baby bunnies were old enough.... "Aunty Flo meet Aunty Flo (the bunny)." It was love at first sight!!! Although, the tender moment was interrupted when she immediately corrected me, "It isn't 'Aunty Flo' it is President Aunty Flo." If Aunty Flo (the bunny) was going to be a namesake, she was getting the title too as Aunty Flo (the person) is the president of her resident council at Kula Hospital.

President Aunty Flo visits with President Aunty Flo for all Kula Hospital scheduled visits and is the very last patient to return her bunny to us when the sessions are over. All of the other residents are lined up to go back to their floors, while both Aunty Flos spend every last precious second together. It's a joy to see the love and connection for each other, and to see Aunty Flo (the person) become a vibrant and active participant in our therapy program once again.

Our last visit, we offered to trade President Aunty Flo (the bunny) for a chicken... the answer, not a little one, but a great big, "NO!" One of the staff members offered to buy President Aunty Flo (the bunny) from President Aunty Flo (the person) and we smiled as she said, "Not even for a million dollars, not for all the money in the world."

Dr. Shannon Dominguez and Mckenna Corriea

It is an honor to work with so many residents and patients each month (up to 800). Our hard working interns and therapy animals make a difference in the lives of so many. And yet, I am always reminded how many of these people make a difference in our lives. Our relationship becomes a friendship in many ways, and when our friends leave us, the loss is deeply felt. We hope they passed with the knowledge of how much they meant to us. While with us, they allowed us to continue our mission and bring a new dimension of joy with our presence and work.

I would like to share an experience with my readers. One of our younger patients, who had been with the program since MAAC began visiting the facilities, recently passed away. She had been terminally ill; even so, she would arrive with a smile and spend time with her favorite bunnies (Groucho, Smokee and Boyson) until she physically wasn't well enough to join us. She had a special boyfriend that also lived at the long term assisted-living care facility and she passed the very morning that we arrived for group therapy.

Upon hearing the news of her loss, we sent our special bunny Boyson to join her boyfriend who was devastated and inconsolable. Her own family devastated from the loss, surrounded and tried to comfort him. When Boyson arrived, through the tears and grief, we are told that he reached out, cradling Boyson in his arms and said, "I hold him for you Karen, because I know how much the rabbits meant to you. I know that this is what you would want me to do." In doing so, we honored her and they honored us.

When visiting Hale Makua Wailuku, I met a resident who never kept or owned a pet. She spent some time with me and one of my special bunnies and said after 10 minutes together, "I've never liked animals before now... but there's something about them that just makes you feel good." (She spent another 30 minutes with her bunny and asked us to come back during our next scheduled visit.)

(Left) Monique Saint-Michel and (Right) Alexis Pleiss holding silky bantam chickens, Smoke and Ashley.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PET THERAPY
VISIT: www.behypnotized.com/pet_therapy.html
or email: info@behypnotized.com

Felicia Saint-Michel and Toffee

WHAT IS ANIMAL-ASSISTED THERAPY?
Animal-Assisted Therapy is also known as Pet Therapy. It is the utilization of specially trained animals as a form of therapy in the clinical environment (i.e.. hospitals, convalescent centers, rehabilitation facilities, Alzheimer and adult day care). It is not a practice of performing therapy on pets or animals, as is often thought by those not familiar with this type of modality.

The formal definition of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is: "AAT is a goal-directed intervention in which an animal that meets specific criteria is an integral part of the treatment process. AAT is directed and/or delivered by a health/human service professional with specialized expertise, and within the scope of practice of his/her profession.

MAUI ANIMAL ALOHA CENTER
The Maui Animal Aloha Center is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit corporation offering Animal-Assisted Therapy to children and adults and Therapeutic Horseback riding for disabled children. The first handicapped therapeutic riding sessions were conducted on the grounds of The Maui Horse Center in Makawao by Harriet (Haku) Baldwin in 1973. Nearly 20 years later, Haku Baldwin founded the Maui Animal Aloha Center in 1991 to provide a permanent place for the therapeutic horseback riding program. In recent years, the therapeutic program expanded to include Animal-Assisted (Pet) Therapy in the hospitals, pediatric units, rehabilitation/convalescent facilities and Alzheimer daycare centers.

YOUR DONATIONS HELP!
(and are tax-deductible)
MAUI ANIMAL ALOHA CENTER
PO Box 880278
Pukalani, HI 96788-0278
Phone: (808) 572-5753

Monique Saint-Michel and Mckenna Corriea MAAC Pet Therapy Interns

© Shannon Dominguez, DCH
All rights reserved
2006