For animal lovers, there’s nothing quite like holding a squirmy, fluffy puppy in your arms.
Senior citizens living in nursing homes can no longer keep pets, but that doesn’t mean they stop loving animals. That’s why Larry Cooley, a breeder of Pomeranians and Bulldogs in Wickford, England, started bringing litters of his pups to local care homes so that residents can get their “puppy fix!”
Larry, aka Big Larry, owns and operates The Bully Ranch. He says he first got the idea to breed Pomeranians after taking litters of his Bullies to nursing homes all around the United Kingdom.
“It was the care homes that made me want to start to breed Pomeranians because they’re nice and small – they’re easy to handle,” he explained.
The breeder gets a lot of joy from watching the puppies interact with seniors, children, and other members of his community. Recently, he brought a litter of Pomeranians and Bulldogs to the care home Romford Grange. There, he made a heartwarming video showing the seniors meeting the pups. Watching the way their faces light up when they’re handed a cute puppy is an instant shot of serotonin.
Visits with the puppies bring more than just smiles, too.
As Big Larry explains, “It’s scientifically proven that puppies can help with depression, lower anxiety, and conquer loneliness, which is one of the main reasons why we started the ‘Bully Ranch to you (project).'”
Home manager Rebecca Watkins agrees, adding that seeing the dogs brought back happy memories for many of the seniors.
“Many of our residents had pets in the past and so animals are part of their life, it was amazing to see them pet and cuddle the puppies, reminiscing as they did – it certainly put a smile on my face,” she said.
Staff members also had a wonderful time holding and petting their furry visitors.
“The interaction was amazing and the staff enjoyed it as much as the residents – we are really grateful to The Bully Ranch for coming to visit us and hope they will be back really soon,” said Rebecca.
Sign us up for a visit from these adorable puppers! It’s so sweet of The Bully Ranch to share their puppy bounty with so many seniors, and we’re thrilled by how much joy it brings them.
Watch a bit of the seniors’ puppy play time below, and don’t forget to share.
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