The Hospice of the Northwest team recently went above and beyond to help a patient and her beloved dog, Angel. The patient had been homebound for quite some time and wasn’t able to groom her sweet dog. Angel’s hair was very matted and had grown so long it was covering her eyes, making it hard for her to see.

Two members of the patient’s care team — Linda Bradley, RN and Caitlin Connelly, MSW — asked Hospice of the Northwest Foundation for funds to get Angel professionally groomed. The request was approved and the appointment was made.

Unfortunately, the patient passed away before the grooming session took place. Her family wasn’t able to keep Angel, and they planned to take her to a shelter to be re-homed. Linda asked if they could wait until after Angel had been groomed and they agreed. The hope was that Angel would have a better chance of being adopted if she looked her best.

Knowing the urgency of the situation, Linda decided to take Angel to the groomer on her personal time. She stayed there to hold the dog and make sure she was comfortable. “When they trimmed the hair from around her eyes, you could see she felt like a whole new dog,” said Linda. “They were very gentle and did an excellent job!”

The groomers fell in love with Angel and wanted to help however they could. They made some calls and were able to find her a new home.

This article was originally published in the Aspirations newsletter. Click here t­­o read the latest issue.