BILLINGS — It's hard work being man's best friend, but the pet therapists at Billings Clinic do the job well.
In 2016, the Gladys Phelps Pet Therapy Endowment was created by Scott Phelps and his brothers after their mother's long stay at the hospital.
Now, Phelps enjoys when he gets to see the dogs at work, bringing smiles to patients' faces, but he wishes his mother was here to see it too.
“At the time, there wasn't, you couldn't sneak the dog in. And then when Mom passed, I wanted to, my brothers and I wanted to do something for her. So, Jim Duncan at the foundation suggested this," Phelps said recently. “It's bittersweet. I mean, it's great. I wish my mom could have, you know, she was paralyzed the last couple of years of her life. And for her to sit in that bed all day and have like a golden retriever come in and say hi to her. She would have loved that.”
It's a great way to honor Gladys Phelps, every time a pup steps foot in a patient's room, their stay gets a little brighter.
Drake Horntvedt has been in the pediatric unit at Billings Clinic for over two weeks after he was shot in the leg during a hunting accident.
Getting a visit from a pet therapist is something the 13-year-old looks forward to as he hasn't seen his multiple dogs at his Lewistown home for awhile.
“I love it,” said Horntvedt. “I have seven dogs at home, so that was fun.”
Horntvedt's mom, Amber Horntvedt, said the visit was great for her son.
"It was really nice to see these dogs and bring up his spirits and stuff," she said. “Animals just have that special touch. Just pretty sweet.”
Volunteers Rebecca and Ric Feyk have been taking their standard poodle, Chanel, around to see patients for six years.
“It makes you feel really good when you approach somebody, and they get a big smile on their face,” Ric said.
Chanel has pink nails to match the feathers in her ears. Rebecca said coming to the hospital is Chanel's favorite thing.
“My goal was to have her be a therapy dog. My mom died of cancer. So, my goal was to go to infusion centers and pediatrics to visit the children,” Rebecca said. “She knows every floor, every nurse, every doctor. And if she doesn't get pet, she feels like she's snubbed.”
