Patti anderson and the power of the paw | va minneapolis health care | veterans affairs

The Minneapolis VA Health Care System Volunteer of the Month in May is Patti Anderson. If you’ve seen Liberty, the patriotic scarf-wearing Siberian Husky, and her handler around the medical

center, you’ve met Patti. Patti became a school counselor and introduced her first registered service dog, KoKo a Siberian Husky, to the elementary school where she worked. She watched Koko

interact with the children for about five years. It was during these sessions that Patti began to see how the “power of the paw” could really help people. A personal experience as a child

cemented the importance of service dogs in Anderson's life. Her father was a Navy Veteran and in 1969 suffered emotional and physical complications which resulted in three months of

inpatient treatment. Fortunately, the treatment saved her father and family. Patti was so appreciative of what the VA did for her father, she decided to volunteer at the VA medical center as

a way to “pay back” a gratitude of debt. That was fourteen years ago, and she has since partnered with three dogs over that span of time.  Patti says it is always amazing and comforting to

see the interaction between a patient and a service animal. She shares the story of one service dog named Ballad, a small Cairn Terrier. Ballad loved people and really liked having his back

rubbed.  Patti and Ballad were introduced to a patient that was non-verbal, unable to walk, and only had feeling on the bottom of his foot. In a therapy session the patient’s foot was gently

lifted up and rubbed against the fur on Ballads back. The patient hadn’t shown any recognizable emotion for a long time but touching Ballad’s fur with his foot resulted in the biggest smile

imaginable along with bursts of laughter. The patient’s parents teared up as they watched the little terrier and their brave Veteran connecting with each other.  Patti regularly teams up

with VA staff for animal assisted therapy sessions with Liberty, her Siberian Husky. Liberty is a people lover and can be very talkative.