Medical Center’s Pet Therapy Angel On A Leash Dog Qualifies For Line Up At The Westminster Kennel Club 133rd Dog Show
By Mel Fabrikant Friday, June 12, 2009, 11:52 AM EDT
The Department of Volunteer Services at Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC), northern New Jersey’s first partner hospital with the Westminster Kennel Club’s Charity Angel On A Leash, has attracted representatives of the very best of breeds. The partnership, which is aimed at bettering the lives of patients, does so through advocacy, education, research, and service. It promotes the role of the human-animal bond in order to enhance human health and quality of life.
Kathi Ross-Nash of Allendale, HUMC volunteer, and her two children, Zack, 16, HUMC volunteer and sister Zoe, 14, are all handlers of their six award-winning Australian Shepherds, who serve as beloved pets, herding champions, and therapy dogs.
Ms. Nash, who has been showing dogs for 11 years, showed her three-year-old female dog, Hope, at the 133rd Westminster Kennel Club All Breed Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Competing against 35 dogs, Hope made it to the final cut in the Best of Breed category, narrowly missing out on an award of merit. It was Ms. Nash’s fifth time showing at the Garden, and a thrill for her to be the only owner-handler among the professional handlers in the final line-up.
“When a dog you love lines up with the best of the best it is thrilling, but Hope’s biggest accomplishment is her work with the patients at HUMC,” said Ms. Nash.
The medical center’s pet therapy program has been in existence since 1992 when the first Delta-certified pet therapy dog in New Jersey became an official medical center volunteer. It was a natural fit to join Angel On A Leash’s existing partners: the Morgan-Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York Presbyterian, the Ronald McDonald House of New York, Providence Hospital in Portland, OR, New Alternatives for Children in New York City, New Milford Hospital in CT, Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis.
“We are thrilled by Kathi and Hope’s showing and most grateful that they interact often with our patients, providing them with a mental and spiritual uplift,” said Catherine DiPasquale of Dumont, manager of Volunteer Services at HUMC.
David Frei, director of Communications, Westminster Kennel Club and president of Angel On A Leash, well-known to millions of television viewers as the longtime co-host of the annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show telecasts, and the annual Thanksgiving Day coverage of the National Dog Show, was thrilled for Ms. Nash and Hope. “The enthusiastic participation of our Angel On A Leash partners in America’s Dog Show is a celebration of the wonderful dogs in our daily lives. Hope’s success represents the charisma that our dogs and their humans share with many of the patients we visit. We are proud of Kathi and all of her dogs for their great stamina and hard work, in and out of the ring. We want all our dogs to be good citizens and encourage everyone to train their dogs and keep them out of shelters, he shared.”
For more information on how your dog can become a therapy dog, please visit www.angelonaleash.org. To learn more about volunteering and the medical center, please visit www.humc.com.
PHOTO CAPTION:
From left: Kathi Ross-Nash of Allendale, HUMC volunteer and Angel on a Leash handler, and her Australian Shepard, Hope, visit Theresa and Andrew Zeppetelli of Little Ferry and their daughter, Ariana, 9, a patient in the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center.
Kathi Ross-Nash of Allendale, HUMC volunteer, and her two children, Zack, 16, HUMC volunteer and sister Zoe, 14, are all handlers of their six award-winning Australian Shepherds, who serve as beloved pets, herding champions, and therapy dogs.
Ms. Nash, who has been showing dogs for 11 years, showed her three-year-old female dog, Hope, at the 133rd Westminster Kennel Club All Breed Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Competing against 35 dogs, Hope made it to the final cut in the Best of Breed category, narrowly missing out on an award of merit. It was Ms. Nash’s fifth time showing at the Garden, and a thrill for her to be the only owner-handler among the professional handlers in the final line-up.
“When a dog you love lines up with the best of the best it is thrilling, but Hope’s biggest accomplishment is her work with the patients at HUMC,” said Ms. Nash.
The medical center’s pet therapy program has been in existence since 1992 when the first Delta-certified pet therapy dog in New Jersey became an official medical center volunteer. It was a natural fit to join Angel On A Leash’s existing partners: the Morgan-Stanley Children’s Hospital of New York Presbyterian, the Ronald McDonald House of New York, Providence Hospital in Portland, OR, New Alternatives for Children in New York City, New Milford Hospital in CT, Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital in Memphis.
“We are thrilled by Kathi and Hope’s showing and most grateful that they interact often with our patients, providing them with a mental and spiritual uplift,” said Catherine DiPasquale of Dumont, manager of Volunteer Services at HUMC.
David Frei, director of Communications, Westminster Kennel Club and president of Angel On A Leash, well-known to millions of television viewers as the longtime co-host of the annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show telecasts, and the annual Thanksgiving Day coverage of the National Dog Show, was thrilled for Ms. Nash and Hope. “The enthusiastic participation of our Angel On A Leash partners in America’s Dog Show is a celebration of the wonderful dogs in our daily lives. Hope’s success represents the charisma that our dogs and their humans share with many of the patients we visit. We are proud of Kathi and all of her dogs for their great stamina and hard work, in and out of the ring. We want all our dogs to be good citizens and encourage everyone to train their dogs and keep them out of shelters, he shared.”
For more information on how your dog can become a therapy dog, please visit www.angelonaleash.org. To learn more about volunteering and the medical center, please visit www.humc.com.
PHOTO CAPTION:
From left: Kathi Ross-Nash of Allendale, HUMC volunteer and Angel on a Leash handler, and her Australian Shepard, Hope, visit Theresa and Andrew Zeppetelli of Little Ferry and their daughter, Ariana, 9, a patient in the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center.
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