At the annual Blessing of Hands ceremony, the Rev. Raye Nell Dyer normally blesses human hands, but last May,
she couldn’t deny that a pair of black and furry paws deserved a blessing as well.
Those paws belonged to Art, the service dog of Rhonda Clark, a patient family
greeter at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital.
Clark was surprised when Dyer offered to bless Art’s paws. “I said, ‘Are you serious?’ and she said, ‘He’s an extension of you.’” she says.
“He is a part of her. It was clear that was the right thing to do. He’s such a helper for her,” Dyer says.
The Blessing of Hands ceremony is held every year during Nurse’s Week but is meant to recognize the valuable work of all employees. Dyer says, “Hands are so critical to what goes on here,” but Art’s paws are certainly helpful as well.
Clark has Cerebral Palsy which brings many physical limitations. She uses a
power wheelchair to get around and says it can take as many as four hours to
get dressed. Art serves as an extra set of arms and legs for Clark, doing
everything from turning on light switches to picking up dropped pens.
Art—called “Handsome Man” by Clark—is a 2-year-old black Labrador Retriever and Golden Retriever mix, who
definitely lives up to his nickname. He knows 40 commands and is always adding
more to his repertoire.
“I’m getting older, and my body mechanisms are changing like everyone else’s. I can’t bend like I used to. He’s really saving my back,” Clark says.
She previously relied on gadgets like grabbers and help from other people to do
simple tasks but says Art is the best piece of adaptive equipment she has ever
had.
“I can’t imagine life without Art. I don’t know what I did without him,” she says.
