Ann Lacey
You can feel excitement in the air on the second Monday of every month when volunteer Ann Lacey arrives at the English Road home in Greece with Taylor and Kendall, her certified therapy dogs.
Residents 18-year-old Greg and 11-year-old Jay stay close to Ann during the hour-long visit, eager to interact with the Sheltie dogs. No one washes faces like Taylor, and Greg clearly enjoys the process. “I don’t have to wash or bathe when they come,” he jokes. “What I get out of their visits are friendship and unconditional love.” Jay misses his own pets at home and is eager to walk one-and-a-half-year-old Kendall. The well-mannered and highly trained dogs recently were evaluated as a team and passed the demanding test with flying colors.
Ann has watched some of the residents grow up during her 14 years as a volunteer at English Road. She has a warm and caring relationship with the children. They chat about their daily lives and she invites the entire crew out to her home in Spencerport for a summer picnic each year.
“Their visit brings a sense of calm,” said staff member Kate Herman. “The kids feel like they are responsible when they walk the dogs. It’s something to look forward to. They like to touch the dogs’ fur and they learn to be gentle with other living things.”
The English Road home is just one of many stops for Ann and the dogs each month. They visit people of all ages in various settings—and positively impact their lives.