{"id":2933,"date":"2025-01-02T16:37:19","date_gmt":"2025-01-02T16:37:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/ontario\/dog-therapy-brings-joy-to-windsor-centre-of-hope-residents\/"},"modified":"2025-05-26T11:27:15","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T11:27:15","slug":"dog-therapy-brings-joy-to-windsor-centre-of-hope-residents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/ontario\/2025\/01\/dog-therapy-brings-joy-to-windsor-centre-of-hope-residents\/","title":{"rendered":"Dog Therapy Brings Joy to Windsor Centre of Hope Residents"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Salvation Army Centre of Hope in Windsor recently welcomed a furry friend \u2014Bentley, a Great Dane therapy dog who has become a beloved source of comfort for residents, staff and volunteers.<\/p>\n<p>Bentley\u2019s presence has been transformative for 64-year-old Freddie, who has lived at the Centre of Hope for five months. A self-proclaimed big dog lover, Freddie felt connected with Bentley\u2019s calm and reassuring presence.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cWhen I got up and walked away, Bentley followed me,\u201d Freddie recalls. \u201cI started rubbing his back, and he melted into my hands. You could tell how relaxed he was\u2014he went right down to the floor on all fours.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The time spent with Bentley, all thanks to St. John Ambulance, offers more than companionship for Freddie. It helps him keep his mind off his cancer diagnosis, which is now in remission.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just thought it was awesome because an animal is very non-judgmental,\u201d he says. \u201cThey just love you and you love them, and there\u2019s no in-between.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Housing manager Marwa Al-Sahar introduced the program, which positively impacts the health and well-being of Centre of Hope residents.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany of our residents don\u2019t have family or pets, so Bentley\u2019s visit was truly special,\u201d Marwa explains. \u201cTherapy animals have an incredible ability to ease loneliness and lift spirits, perfectly aligning with our mission of holistic care.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The initiative began after Marwa partnered with a St. John Ambulance volunteer who regularly brings Bentley to community programs each month. If interest continues, more therapy dogs may be added to the program.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cBentley\u2019s visits are a simple reminder of the love and hope animals bring,\u201d says Centre of Hope community engagement specialist Shannon Barnwell. \u201cOur residents light up when Bentley walks in. For those who often feel isolated, these moments remind them they\u2019re cared for and never alone.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Bentley\u2019s presence has brightened lives and helped fulfill the Centre of Hope\u2019s mission of creating a nurturing community where everyone feels valued and understood. Help The Salvation Army continue to provide compassionate programs in your community by donating today at www.SalvationArmy.ca or calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; The Salvation Army Centre of Hope in Windsor recently welcomed a furry friend \u2014Bentley, a Great Dane therapy dog who has become a beloved source of comfort for residents, staff and volunteers. Bentley\u2019s presence has been transformative for 64-year-old Freddie, who has lived at the Centre of Hope for five months. A self-proclaimed big [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2934,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"location":[],"class_list":["post-2933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-interest"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Dog Therapy Brings Joy to Windsor Centre of Hope Residents - The Salvation Army Ontario<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/salvationarmy.ca\/ontario\/2025\/01\/dog-therapy-brings-joy-to-windsor-centre-of-hope-residents\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dog Therapy Brings Joy to Windsor Centre of Hope Residents - The Salvation Army Ontario\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&nbsp; The Salvation Army Centre of Hope in Windsor recently welcomed a furry friend \u2014Bentley, a Great Dane therapy dog who has become a beloved source of comfort for residents, staff and volunteers. 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