Skip is an animal lover who recognizes the special connection between animals and people. In addition to volunteering with the community-based “Horses and the Handicapped,” he is a VITAS volunteer in the Broward program and initiated its successful pet therapy program. Skip and Alex, his gentle German shepherd, visit VITAS nursing home patients on a regular basis. Skip and Alex have many stories to share.

One is about Sam, a patient who had withdrawn to the point that he no longer would look at people. Sam simply sat in his wheelchair all day every day, staring at the floor. One day Skip was chatting in the nursing home hallway with a staff member while Alex waited at his feet. Skip noticed that Sam stole several glances at Alex, but quickly returned to his downward stare lest anyone see him.

Releasing the tension on the leash, Skip watched as Alex moved toward Sam’s wheelchair. Sam reached down and touched Alex’s head. A small grin broke through Sam’s emotionless expression; his eyes indicated signs of life. In a matter of moments, the grin became a giant smile and Sam’s eyes brightened completely. He turned the wheelchair, began petting the dog and held Alex’s huge head in his lap, rubbing his ears. Alex’s tail thumped against the wall, and Skip felt good about seeing Sam’s glassy stare transformed into a face full of life and excitement. It was obvious to Skip that Sam had once been an avid dog lover.

Skip and Alex visited Sam often, helping someone who had lived for months in loneliness and despair to experience moments of joy and life.