Heart patients in Waukesha county are getting some healthy exercise and helping out the local animal shelter at the same time.
The program is called Cardiac Friends and it's sponsored by ProHealth Care and the Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha, Wisconsin. The idea is to get animal lovers who are recovering from heart surgery out and moving around.
A controlled exercise regimen is important to strengthen your heart (with your doctors guidance of course) and the pups at the Welfare Society to appreciate the chance to get out of their cages and move around. The patient gets a great work out partner and the dog gets an outing and a friend.
Having this exercise reduces risks of new cardiac events, blood pressure, cholesterol, and depression.
Currently, thanks to a fenced in property, patients can play toss and fetch with their dogs or walk them on a dirt path that winds through the grounds.
The other benefit for the dogs is socialization that will make it easier to find permanent homes for them. Dogs that are used to and happy with human handling have a more successful adoption rate.
This fall the founders of the program plan to give presentations in hopes that other hospitals will take initiative to create similar programs with their local agencies.
The program was invented by Susan Kidder, an animal rescue advocate.
Comments