Roger Hammett & Kimmy
“Kimmy changes people’s lives, be it stroke patients learning to speak again, or offenders with anger management issues looking forward to seeing her and having a long cuddle. I derive so much pleasure from those moments.”
Kimmy, a five-year-old English black Labrador, belongs to Voluntary Area Co-ordinator Roger Hammett. The pair have been a visiting PAT Team for nearly three years. Originally bred at the Guide Dogs UK centre in Leamington Spa, Roger says that Kimmy brings a sense of calm to everyone she meets.
“Kimmy is a gentle dog with the calmest temperament I have ever witnessed,” he smiles. “She essentially is timid, having failed as a Guide Dog because of phobia of hand dryers in public toilets, but she loves people of all ages. Perhaps surprisingly, Kimmy copes brilliantly in challenging situations such as hospital wards with their strange noises and smells. She’s also great at the secure units we visit, even when inmates behave unpredictably. Her ability to make people calm is a gift.”
Making a difference
The PAT Team spend time with patients in the stroke, older people and intestinal failure wards at University Hospital Southampton, and also visit the Doctors’ Mess there, where the friendly dog brings comfort to hard-working staff. Additionally, they visit two secure mental health units near Totton, Hampshire, working closely with Occupational Therapists. “Kimmy enjoys being stroked, fed treats, groomed and played with, or she’ll happily just sit down and watch the world go by.”
The joy of volunteering
Roger says he was keen not to waste the extensive Guide Dog training that Kimmy had received. “I was on a dog walk and had a chance encounter with a stranger who informed me about Pets As Therapy, a charity I’d never heard of,” he recalls. “But becoming a volunteer is one of the best decisions I have ever made. As well as being good for Kimmy, it’s good for me as a retirement activity, and I am contributing as much as possible to PAT by being a Voluntary Area Co-ordinator. I especially enjoy specialising in mainstream and secure hospital visits as I see it as payback to the NHS for all the treatment that I personally have received from the NHS over the years.”
He claims that his love of PAT work goes well beyond enjoying people saying lovely things about my dog. “Kimmy changes people’s lives, be it stroke patients learning to speak again by talking to her, or offenders with anger management issues looking forward to seeing her each week so they can have a long cuddle. I derive so much pleasure from those moments.”
We are always looking to recruit more volunteers.
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