Paws & Hearts

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"Paws & Hearts" is a Pet Therapy Visitation Organization serving the Coachella Valley

11/02/2026

Different report this week. Last Wednesday was our Monthly Volunteer Book Club meeting and our volunteer Sandie and her two adorable Canine Ambassador Westie’s, “Hudson” & “Shelby” hosted. As you can tell from the pictures Sandie’s house could be used a Halloween movie set! She really goes to town decorating for her favorite holiday!

At this months’ Book Club we had a special guest author, H B Fletcher (he’s the hunk in the Cowboy hat) in attendance. He joined in our discussions as we each presented our book for the month and then he talked about his latest, upcoming novel. H B is quite charming and our group had a great time last Wednesday. Even the Halloween themed carrot cake turned out pretty good!

Our Book Club meets the last Wednesday of the month at 1pm and is open to all of our volunteers to join!

10/26/2026

Another Monday and a very sweet Volunteer Report from “Chloe” and her Mom Linda. They visit Bayshire-Rancho Mirage every Monday morning.

Today’s visit was delightful, and Chloe brought immense joy to several patients. Among them is a gentleman named Donald, who eagerly awaits our arrival every Monday in the same area. Holding and petting Chloe means everything to him, and it also brings happiness to us.

One lady who was leaving the next day was happy to be going home but sad she could no longer visit with Chloe. She was very grateful to both of us for our wonderful visits these last few weeks!

A very productive morning for the cutest female Canine Ambassador! But then, Mom is very biased!

10/19/2026

This week’s Volunteer Report is from “Thor” and his Dad Bob. Every Wednesday morning these two visit the patients at the Cancer Center at Desert Regional.

Upon our arrival in the basement, we met a former prostate cancer patient who was waiting to be interviewed by one of the local news channels about his success at being cancer free. At one time this gentleman was in charge of volunteer services at Desert Regional. He was very appreciative of the work we do and enjoyed rewarding Thor by giving him extra ear rubs for his volunteer services.

On the 2nd floor we visited with a patient who very impressed with Thor's calming personality and wondered about his therapy dog training. I told the patient that he needed very little training and he was born this way. Then she told me that Thor was very lucky to find a human that helped him find the perfect role volunteering in the human world.

Perfect ending to a perfect morning of visits from Thor…………I am just the guy at the end of the leash!!

10/12/2026

Another Monday and “Poppy” and her Mom Gail visit Rancho Mirage Healthcare every Wednesday morning. Here is their latest Volunteer Report!

As we walked in this morning one of the women behind a nurse's station called out Poppy's name. So of course we had to stop and visit with her for a few minutes.
Our first visit was with Judith who is in the rehab area. She was so happy to see Poppy because she misses her dog so much. Poppy gave Judith lots of kisses and made her very happy.

We went into the Activity Room and visited with the residents who are usually there every week. Maria called to Poppy right away and we went over and I helped Poppy on to her lap. Poppy cooperated by covering her face with kisses and Maria responded with a big smile. Again Jose had his few minutes with Poppy and this time she actually kissed him right where he was pointing on his face. He is the sweetest man. He doesn't really talk but I can tell by his smile how much he enjoys Poppy.

We went back to the rooms and visited with Marsha. Poppy always hurries into her room and immediately jumps onto the bed. I know Marsha loves that so I don't worry unless she is sleeping when we walk in. Marsha said she always loves it when we come to visit. Caren, the woman who is 107, was awake and very talkative today. She said she was so glad we visited her and said that Poppy is the most adorable dog she's ever seen. High praise from a woman who worked with Toto in the Wizard of Oz. Jodie, another resident that Poppy adores (probably because she gives her treats even though I say she shouldn't) told me today how much it relaxes her to visit with Poppy.

We had a busy morning and we were both tired when we left!

10/05/2026

All of our Volunteer Reports are special, but this one is very special to me, because as you will read, this is a report of a visit that “Terry” and I have had. Actually we’ve now been to visit Tom three times in the rehab facility. Working with a stroke patient to get them to pet the dog with the affected arm/hand is incredibly rewarding if it works. I think our report says it all!

I had a call the other day from a gentleman whose twin brother had had a stroke and he was in a rehab center 5 minutes from my house. We don't have a volunteer there, but Glenn struck me as so sincere I couldn't so no.

This morning Terry and I went to visit his brother Tom. OMG I couldn't believe how amazing Terry was with Tom. We had Tom sitting beside us in his wheelchair so that he could work with his stroke side to pet Terry. The look on Tom's face as he petted Terry was amazingly beautiful. His brother took pictures and I think he filmed this whole thing. Terry was as calm as calm could be and he kept leaning into Tom sensing that this is what was required!

We did this for 1/2 an hour and then Tom got tired so I held Terry up so he could give Tom a kiss, but Tom gave Terry a kiss first! The thank you's were outstanding and what a sense of accomplishment I had and such pride in Terry. He really is good at this therapy dog thing! Took long enough!

Tom is at the facility for another 2 weeks and we are going back on Monday and then again.

This is why I started this group, to help someone who needed a therapy dog! What a morning!

09/28/2026

This weeks Volunteer Report is from our ace pup reporter “Hudson!” Hudson and his sister “Shelby” visit the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Desert Regional every Tuesday morning with their Mom Sandie. Here is last week’s report!

When we walked in, the basement was empty except for the nice lady with the curls at the desk. We went to say hi to her but, I wanted to keep moving and check this place out. So, my mom took us to the elevator. I am not afraid of elevators - I’ve been on them a lot. We played a game about which of the two doors would open. I picked one and Shelby picked the other. I was right! There were more people on 1st floor so Shelby and I got right to work!

My mom brought us to a nice couple who were very welcoming and happy to see us. Shelby wormed her way into them and cuddled at their feet. They reached over to pet me, but I turned away and burrowed into my mom. Then my mom patted the seat next to the man and told me to jump up, so I did. This was better. A hand reaching out to touch me from above when I’m on the floor is scary, but, a hand reaching across the chair and touching my back and side felt nice. I moved a little closer. Mom talked while the man petted me.. He relaxed and I relaxed and finally, mom said, “Good job, Hudson.”

When we got to 2nd floor there were a lot of people. I could sense the ones that were “dog people”. There were two men who had a schnauzer - they liked me a lot. I went up on the chair next to them and leaned in against them. One man put his arm around me and it wasn’t scary at all! I did kiss a man named Harry who used to work for Guide Dogs of the Desert. I really liked him and he was gentle and smelled good.

Right before we left, I was being petted by a nice lady while Shelby was smelling the carpet a ways away. I backed up and sat on this woman’s shoe while she stroked my back. My mom was explaining about Shelby being the social one and I was still a little shy. So, the woman said to my mom, “So this is Shelby then?” It was really me!!! For once, I was the ‘exceptional’ Canine Ambassador of the group!

09/21/2026

This week’s Volunteer Report is from “Muffin” and her Mom Althea, and they visit the Cancer Center at Desert Regional every Friday morning. Here is a recent report—
We had a really nice visit to the Cancer Center today. Upon arrival a lady and her mother who had visited with Muffin before shouted out her name and she ran towards them almost pulling my arm out of its socket to greet them! She was full of p**s and vinegar today and was so happy that we got to see so many people, more than in the past several weeks.

The clients/patients we visited with were thrilled with the attention that Muffin lavished on them. More than one patient whispered to me that having Muffin visit made coming to appointments just a little easier!

We talked to a man that lives up by Pioneer Town. He actually lives on 40 acres (off the grid). He has two large dogs, both rescues. He was so appreciative of the visit and told us that we were both a blessing. Many, many people said that they were so happy that we were there. One lady said she knew about “Paws & Hearts” and was pleased that they were making visits to the Cancer Center.

All and all it was a very good visit today!

09/14/2026

This week’s Volunteer Report is from “Ollie” and his Mom Karen and they visit Atria-Palm Desert every Friday afternoon! They are brave in this heat to do that! Here is last week’s report—

Ollie was a hit from the start this week! We met Betty sitting outside and she adored Ollie saying he was a sweet soul. We laughed about men etc. and she is looking forward to our next visit. While talking with her, Christine and her dog Joey came along. Ollie was laissez faire after meeting Joey and Betty observed that Ollie was very well behaved and respectful of Joey, the other dog.

We met Carol in the lobby who enjoyed petting Ollie immensely. We found Danny, Kristin's assistant playing cards with 4 residents. We interacted and laughed about Ollie putting on a hat and joining them. Once the game was over Danny took us around to the rooms to meet others. We met Josephine who loves her doggy time and we vowed to return. Kay is a regular of ours and full of energy and eager to chat. Lois waiting for her son to visit but enjoyed our visit.

Met several more ladies in the hallway who couldn’t get enough of petting Ollie who was as calm as could be. We are looking forward to our next visit!

09/07/2026

Labor Day Monday and hopefully fall is not that far away! It seems fitting today to highlight “Bailey” and her Mom Mona who visit every Monday morning at Monterey Palms. Chances are, they will be visiting this morning as Bailey is a beloved visitor to residents and staff alike! Here is last week’s Report—

Bailey pranced straight into the PT room to make the rounds and visit all of her favorites!

Elvira who came in totally paralyzed was working on standing. Bailey waited patiently to see her. This is an amazing recovery. Then Bailey jumped up on the bench to say hi to a man working his legs, and gave a little hello kiss.
We visited with the ladies that we met last week. They enjoyed seeing Bailey again.

Our visit with Rebecca was nice. We also saw Ruth who is getting weaker, but she still knows Bailey.

Our last visit was with all of the people playing cards in the activity room. They always call out “Bailey!” Just another perfect Monday Morning at Monterey Palms!

08/31/2026

The last day of August and hopefully fall isn’t too far away! This week’s report is from “Willie” and his Mom Sandra and they visit the Comprehensive Cancer Center every Monday morning.

Willie had a wonderful day. The nurses gave him great pets and definitely a butt massage. His tail never stopped wagging. Several patients had big dogs and loved his soft fur and gave him lots of pets and rubs. Several people even remembered him and his name and called to him to come and visit! He snuggled up and sat on their foot, which caused lots of laughter

Willie moved from person to person, wagging his tail consistently. He cuddled up to people, then moved to the next one. One man was a cat lover, but Willie liked him anyway. At least half the people had dogs and Willie sniffed their legs up and down.

The staff and all the patients made Willie feel very special for his visits this morning!

Address

42-600 Cook Street, Ste. 207
Palm Desert, CA
92211

Website

http://www.pawsandhearts.org/

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