Paws & Hearts

Paws & Hearts "Paws & Hearts" is a Pet Therapy Visitation Organization serving the Coachella Valley

Monday, June 1st and this week’s Volunteer Report is from “Starry” and her two Dads, David & Stephen. While these three...
06/01/2026

Monday, June 1st and this week’s Volunteer Report is from “Starry” and her two Dads, David & Stephen. While these three are no longer in the valley, they have started going on visits to Sunland of Encinitas Long Term Care Facility. David is kind enough to send in reports and we are happy to feature them!

This is our third time visiting the Sunland Home in Encinitas. We only saw three residents this afternoon because some of them were taking naps.

The first two residents were in one of the central living areas and were watching the film "The King and I" with Yul Brynner. The nurse paused the movie so they could greet Starry. One of the women was in a wheelchair and Stephen placed Starry on her lap with her permission, where Starry sat for a few minutes, staring into the woman's eyes as she stroked her. Stephen held Starry up for the second woman to pet as she didn't want Starry in her lap. Both of the women were very appreciative of Starry's visit.

We entered a third resident's room; someone with whom we've visited with before. The woman was so pleased to see Starry again and told us how she had beagles when she was young. She said as soon as you would open the front door, they'd run out, always hunting for something, which beagles are bred to do. Anyway, the woman enjoyed Starry's visit.

We did also visit with the staff; a couple of nurses and two administrators. Starry was drawn to one of the nurses and kept going back to her for attention. The woman sat down on the floor with her and stroked her all over, which Starry LOVED!

All in all it was a short visit. The charge nurse said she was going to suggest to the volunteer coordinator that we come in the morning next time when the residents aren't napping so that Starry has a chance to visit with everyone.

This weeks Volunteer Report is from “Poppy” and her Mother Gail, and they visit Rancho Mirage Healthcare every Wednesday...
05/25/2026

This weeks Volunteer Report is from “Poppy” and her Mother Gail, and they visit Rancho Mirage Healthcare every Wednesday morning!

We started in the Activity Room this morning. One of the women, Maria loves Poppy so much and really gets excited when she sees her. She talks nonstop but most of the time I don't know what she is saying. She always has such a big smile when Poppy is on her lap.

Luis doesn't talk much but he is happy to have Poppy visit him. In fact, today, for the first time, he actually let me know he wanted her on his lap.

When we visited Nancy, her comment to Poppy was, "You don't know how much I needed this. You made me so happy."

Karen, who turned 107 last week, was so impressed by how Poppy seems to really pay attention and listen to what we are saying. She called her, "sweet thing." I'm impressed by how alert and verbal Karen is. After we visited the rooms, we went back to the Activity Room. A few new people were there and we visited them before we left.

As always Poppy made all kinds of patients and residents just a little happier with her visit this morning!

Our Volunteer Report this week is from “Shelby” and her Mom Sandie and they visit the Cancer Center at Desert Regional e...
05/18/2026

Our Volunteer Report this week is from “Shelby” and her Mom Sandie and they visit the Cancer Center at Desert Regional every Tuesday Morning. This is their latest report!

I heard the words I love to hear every time we visit the center: “I needed her today”. Those words were spoken more than once today as we traveled by wagon throughout the center. It was our first time back in 7 weeks and I didn’t want Shelby to “overdo” with too much walking. Even though her leg injury is improving, she’s not 100 percent and I don’t want her to aggravate the injury. So she entered the center in a pink polka dot wagon! At first, she was reluctant to stay in it - seeing a patient got her all excited and the wagon was a barrier between her and them. But, once she saw she could get wheeled right up to someone and was pretty much level with them as they sat, she was happy. It was easy for them to touch her and hug her. When she wanted, she could transfer from the wagon to a chair next them (with some help from me). So, the visit went well and Shelby got used to the wagon and it gave her a chance to rest her leg as she navigated from floor to floor.

The first people we met were in the basement and they were impressed with Shelby’s calm demeanor. They commented on how pretty she was and spent a lot of time talking about their past dogs and how much dogs mean to them. They thanked us for stopping to see them and were the first to say, “We needed her today!”

Another woman on the third floor echoed those words as well. She was having a tough day and having Shelby in her lap to pet seemed to brighten her demeanor. Jen, a nurse on the third floor, welcomed us back as she scooped Shelby up from the wagon and held her in a hug.

All in all, both Shelby and I are really glad to be back!

Our Volunteer Report this Monday is from “Chloe” and her Mom Linda and every Monday morning they visit the Rehabilitatio...
05/11/2026

Our Volunteer Report this Monday is from “Chloe” and her Mom Linda and every Monday morning they visit the Rehabilitation Department and Memory Care at Bayshire, Rancho Mirage. This is last week’s Report!

Today’s visit was incredibly heartwarming. One of the patients we encountered was a woman who appeared deeply saddened. She had been at Bayshire since March 3rd, and unfortunately, no one had visited her. The only source of comfort for her was a beloved stuffed animal that she had cherished for years. When Chloe and I entered her room, she burst into tears and expressed her desire to hug and pet Chloe. It was a poignant moment, evoking a mix of sadness and warmth.

The two pictures I’ve included are the patient with her stuffed toy and then “Chloe” having replaced the toy. From the smile on Chloe’s face she was very happy with her assignment!

First Monday of May and this weeks Volunteer Report is from Bailey and her Mom Mona and every Monday morning these two s...
05/04/2026

First Monday of May and this weeks Volunteer Report is from Bailey and her Mom Mona and every Monday morning these two show up at Hacienda de Monterey for visits that start with the Physical Therapy Room. Then it is on to the Activities Room, and ending with special one-on-one visits to patient rooms!

Bailey did her usual rounds to the PT room, & the activity room. Both places the residents were working on exercises, which Bailey was very happy to assist with!

We met three new ladies. All were very friendly & talkative. One lady worked in the movies doing various jobs. They all had dogs sometime in their lives.

We saw Rebecca, after missing her last week. Bailey just automatically jumps up on her bed now. She gives Rebecca lots of kisses & lies down on her. Rebecca just loves Bailey so much, and as we were saying our good-byes she very sweetly blessed my special dog!

Our other favorite, Ruth was in the hallway. First time that we saw her there.
Her sense of human is great. She said that she is on Baileys side when it comes to treats! Just a wonderful 90 minutes this morning to share with our friends!

This weeks Volunteer Report is from “Billy” and his Mom Kerry and every Thursday morning they visit the residents at Atr...
04/27/2026

This weeks Volunteer Report is from “Billy” and his Mom Kerry and every Thursday morning they visit the residents at Atria Palm Desert. (I accompanied Billy & Kerry a few weeks ago and do these two really walk the halls of this facility! Everyone who wants to get a visit with Billy, or take a walk with him gets the chance!)

We visited with a few folks as they were heading out to go to appointments. Marilyn was also heading out to spend the morning with her son from Orange County. She asked if we could stick around to have her son see Billy again. I think Billy wanted to go with them when he heard they were going to The Habit!

We spent some time with folks who were doing a survey with the Activities Director about their happiness with Atria. Billy’s visits were high on their lists of ‘likes!’

We did our trip through the halls and found a few folks to walk with to lunch.
And finally we saw Neil making the trek to lunch. He has a hard time getting started, and then he can take a normal step or two. Today he was inspired by Billy and did his best to keep up with him! Perfect way to end this weeks visit with Billy’s favorites at Atria!

This weeks Volunteer Report is from “Ernie Banks” and his Dad Winston, and they visit the Comprehensive Cancer Center at...
04/20/2026

This weeks Volunteer Report is from “Ernie Banks” and his Dad Winston, and they visit the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Desert Regional every Thursday morning.

It was a busy day at the cancer center, and Ernie Banks was at her usual level of excitement. Every person we met was lovely and seemed genuinely grateful that we were there. There were no cranky people and no "no's."

One highlight was a woman who was purple from head to toe. Literally ... she was wearing a purple caftan and purple shoes and she had purple hair. She was accompanying a friend who was a patient. Purple Lady actually got down on the floor to play with Ernie, and when her friend returned to the waiting room following her treatment, she said "I'm ready to go." And Purple Lady replied "I can see that but I'm not done playing with Ernie!" (She was nice about it.) It cracked me up.

It was a good day! I'm attaching a photo of Ernie and me that Connie the valet lady took.

Our Volunteer Report this week is from Thor and his Dad Bob, and on Monday mornings they visit the residents of Vista Co...
04/13/2026

Our Volunteer Report this week is from Thor and his Dad Bob, and on Monday mornings they visit the residents of Vista Cove Memory Care in Rancho Mirage.

We met the new Activities Director this morning, Karen Tuvia. She was very appreciative of us coming weekly to visit with the residents. Karen wanted to take photos of Thor with each of the residents in the 1st building.

In the 2nd building we visited with 2 of the newer residents, Keith and Joanna. Keith actually smiled at us as we entered and walked over to pet Thor. In the past he seemed to be quiet/reserved, but today Keith was more outgoing and started chatting about his dog at home. The other newer resident Joanna loved having Thor lay next to her. Joanna told us that she never had a dog and if she could get one, it would have be like Thor. Then Joanna said that I looked spiffy and liked my hair cut and my glasses.

All in all a very positive visit for the residents, the staff and Thor!

To start the first Monday of April off, we have a Volunteer Report by yours truly because “Terry” has finally become a C...
04/06/2026

To start the first Monday of April off, we have a Volunteer Report by yours truly because “Terry” has finally become a Canine Ambassador and with pictures to prove it! This is our story from our first visit a few weeks ago.

This was Terry's first visit to Amber House in Palm Desert. Amber House is actually 2-6 bed Board N Care homes. This is a new client of ours and after my tour last week I thought this might just be the place for Terry, and I was right!

I can't believe he is my dog at this point! As long as he is in my arms or sitting beside a patient facing me he is perfect. No shaking, no trying to get away, and he lets people pet him, shake his paw and talk to him!

One man, Skip took an instant like to Terry. Skip was sitting in a chair and as I moved Terry over to him, he put his paws on Skips shoulder and brushed his face up against Skip. Skip said he was in heaven!

One woman in her room in her chair exclaimed, "I can't decide who is cuter, you or the dog!"

This is just the perfect facility for Terry and I. I had forgotten how much I got back from these visits--from making people feel just a little bit better from interacting with a dog. Wait a few weeks until Terry is truly comfortable in the facility and everyone knows him by name, he'll be 100%. Trust me, today he was 90%.

This Pet Therapy deal is pretty amazing!!!

Written by a very proud father--Richard

A different Volunteer Report this week, sort of a two-part story, one that begins with “Shelby” and her sore leg and her...
03/30/2026

A different Volunteer Report this week, sort of a two-part story, one that begins with “Shelby” and her sore leg and her trip to the vet after her visit to the Cancer Center to see the patients and staff who rely on her on her smiling face every Tuesday morning!

As told by Sandie, Shelby’s Mom--

Today I had to take Shelby to her vet to evaluate an injury to her back leg. We went there right from the Cancer Center so we still had our “garb” on - my shirt, Shelby’s scarf. When we were ushered into the treatment room, Amber, Dr. Jackman’s assistant, saw my shirt and started to cry. She became very emotional and started to tell “her story”. When her son, Carter, was 7, he had a very severe asthma attack. She called an ambulance and Carter was rushed to Eisenhower Emergency. He was gasping for air and Amber told me she thought he was dying. It was horrible, scary, and she felt helpless as she watched her little boy struggle so much to hang onto life. At Eisenhower, he was evaluated, and then airlifted to Loma Linda because his condition was so critical. He was treated there - thankfully, successfully - and then brought back to Eisenhower for a pretty prolonged hospital stay. While in (as Amber described it), the very dark, sterile, and frightening environment for a 7-year old boy, a Paws & Hearts Ambassador dog came to Carter’s room to visit him. Amber said it was like a miracle - his demeanor improved, he smiled, and started talking to the dog, and hugged the dog who had cuddled up next to him on the hospital bed. All Carter and Amber talked about was his “canine angel” who made all the difference for Carter and his rehabilitation. What’s even better is that Richard Waxman, the director of Paws & Hearts, heard the story and invited Carter to be the poster child for the upcoming Dog Walk. Carter was thrilled!

Carter recovered and learned how to manage his asthma. This happened in 2005. Carter is now 27 years old. He and Amber talk about the Paws &Hearts experience a lot. Amber is so thankful and appreciative the organization was there for her and for Carter!

Finished by Richard—

The dog they are referring to in this story was my boy “Scruffy” and I was the volunteer who visited with Carter and his Mom. Scruffy loved kids, and while he wouldn’t tolerate a human cuddling with him, put him in bed with a child and he was all full of hugs and kisses and cuddles! Scruffy has been gone 11 years now, and I am so glad I got to hear this story again!

See Scruff, I told you you would never be forgotten!!

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42-600 Cook Street, Ste. 207
Palm Desert, CA
92211

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