Sick patient was forced to give up his elderly dog—then a nurse's unexpected visit to shelter changed his life
Looking after a person means more than catering to their medication and daily needs. It means tapping into their lives and truly checking on them, bringing some light into their darkness and renewing their hope. A nurse named Jennifer Smith from the Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Rome, New York, gave this light to a patient named John Burley, CNN reported. The man was hospitalized after having lung problems and was forced to put his dog, Boomer, in a shelter. The nurse learned of his plight and decided to intervene with a precious gesture that left the 60-year-old relieved and grateful.
Burley lived alone in his apartment with his dog Boomer. He had adopted the canine when he was a puppy and looked after him for around 12 years. Unfortunately, after his hospitalization, there was no one to look after the canine and he ended up in a shelter. The man was heartbroken when he got a call from Smith, who had been checking up on him, Newsweek revealed. His desperation pushed the nurse to recall how much the dog mattered. “I told John I have a 13-year-old dog myself who I’ve had since he was a puppy, so I fully understand the panic. It made my heart sad for him and Boomer,” she explained.
She decided that she would check on Boomer but had no idea which shelter he was taken to. She called the Rome Humane Society and to her luck, he was right there. “I was a little panicked because I didn’t know how long he had been in the shelter or if he had already been adopted by another family,” the nurse remarked. The idea of having Burley and Boomer “separated” was eating her up. She immediately went to the shelter to look for the canine. As she glanced through the kennels, she found the big guy waiting for someone who felt like his own.
He instantly bonded with Smith and she knew what she had to do. “Okay, where are the adoption papers? I’m going to take him home,” she remarked. She took him home that day, as a part of her family and as a relieving gesture to the pet parent. The 60-year-old was touched to learn that he can now stay close to his buddy and it has greatly aided his recovery. While he’s at it, the canine has also befriended the other residents, MedPage Today revealed. "Not only does John get to see him, but the residents in the nursing home also get to see him," Smith said.
Seeing all the residents smile, call out Boomer’s name, and seeing Burley proud, assured Smith she’d made the perfect decision. "That's why I went into nursing. I love helping people and taking care of people in any way that I can,” she remarked. “There are just so many worries in the world right now. If I can take one worry away from John, that’s the least I can do,” she added. The rehab center shared a post of Smith holding the delighted Boomer in her arms. “I can’t cure diseases. I’m not a miracle worker. I made a promise to John to take care of Boomer. I will take care of him as long as he needs me to,” she said.