Therapy dog brings joy, comfort to Idaho State Veterans Home Post Falls

POST FALLS — One of the most loved and hardest-working employees at the Idaho State Veterans Home Post Falls is also the smallest, the cutest and the fluffiest.

Flash is his name, and brightening everyone's day is his game.

“He comes and visits me and he gives me kisses,” Idaho State Veterans Home Post Falls resident Mary Sears said Thursday as she smoothed her hands over the 10-year-old Pomeranian Shih Tzu's coat and scratched his chin.

"He’s wonderful," she said.

In his star-spangled doggie bandana, with a sparkle in his eyes and pink tongue hanging out, the lap-sized therapy dog is often the center of attention at the veterans home. Activities assistant Shelley Holloway has worked at the veterans home since August, but she and Flash have been volunteers since the doors opened in 2022.

Flash was a rescue dog when Holloway adopted him as a puppy. Therapy dog training began when he was 4 months old, and Flash was a natural.

"He’s the type of dog that just makes it,” Holloway said. “I give him all the credit. He somehow knows what he’s doing.”

Flash is among a few canine companions who provide comfort and joy to the residents, as the facility does not allow pets to live on-site. One resident's wife brings their family dog in, and veterans home administrator Amber Goodchild will sometimes bring her dogs to see everyone.

Therapy dogs can provide emotional support or comfort for people who are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, grief, anxiety or depression.

Goodchild said Flash brings immense joy to the residents.

"He not only is there during happy times, but he is there to provide comfort and support when somebody is feeling down or if they’re grieving," she said. "We’ve witnessed him helping a grieving spouse cope with the realization that her husband has passed, and it’s very moving to see how beneficial dogs and pets in general are to help cope with different emotions. Whether you’re happy, sad, glad, angry, frustrated, dogs can do a lot of wonderful things for you.”

One stroll through the veterans home with Flash and it is clear how special the cuddly canine is to residents and staff members alike. He will go for electric wheelchair rides with residents, prance along with those who take him for walks in the hallways and even deliver the mail with resident Charlie Aebi.

"Flash is a great addition to the home," maintenance craftsman Richard Warner said. "He's fun. He has his own little personality and everybody loves him."

Every Wednesday, residents gather for a Conversations with Flash session where they visit with the therapy dog and enjoy fellowship and pastries. Flash works five days a week and has his own little personalized red, white and blue dog bed where he can rest when he needs downtime.

"He's wonderful. He's very docile," said Army veteran Frank Quattrocchi, president of the resident council. "He's a very good therapy dog. Whenever anybody's feeling low, she brings him over and that changes everything right away. He has even been very instrumental when someone passes and relatives are here. He really helps."

Holloway is happy to bring Flash to work because it's one way she can give back to those who sacrificed so much for their country.

"It warms my heart," she said.

    Army veteran Frank Quattrocchi, president of the Idaho State Veterans Home Post Falls Resident Council, shares a happy moment Thursday with Flash the therapy dog.
  

    Idaho State Veterans Home Post Falls resident Mary Sears gives Flash the therapy dog a scratch under his chin Thursday morning. “He comes and visits me and he gives me kisses,” she said. "He’s wonderful."

 

    Flash, a 10-year-old Pomeranian Shih Tzu therapy dog, relaxes in his red, white and blue bed Thursday morning at the Idaho State Veterans Home Post Falls.
  

    Marine Corps veteran Charlie Aebi and therapy dog Flash, pictured together Thursday morning, are good buddies and deliver the mail to residents at the Idaho State Veterans Home Post Falls.