{"id":111003,"date":"2026-02-11T11:39:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T11:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/111003\/"},"modified":"2026-02-11T11:39:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T11:39:11","slug":"when-patients-in-hospice-who-cares-for-their-pets-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/111003\/","title":{"rendered":"When patients in hospice, who cares for their pets?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scott Lewis had a last wish. The passionate gardener wanted to see the Philadelphia Flower Show. He was also passionate about his elderly pug, Maui. A day trip would have been too hard on Lewis, and an overnight stay in a kennel would have been too hard on Maui.<\/p>\n

So Maui went home with an Allied Services Hospice & Palliative Care Pet Peace of Mind volunteer. Rebecca Farrell carried Maui up and down stairs and let the dog sleep in her bed.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe liked walks, so we went for a walk every day and he had a little raincoat,\u201d Farrell said.<\/p>\n

Lewis was so energized by the floral displays that he often got out of his wheelchair for a better look. \u201cHe did so well,\u201d said his widow, Cheryl. \u201cIt was like he just pushed himself.\u201d He bought a few orchids to add to a collection of dozens. \u201cHe loved flowers,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"Maui<\/p>\n

Maui was an elderly pug who belonged to Scott and Cheryl Lewis, of Dalton. Allied Services Hospice & Palliative Care Pet Peace of Mind program brought comfort to Scott at the end of his life. The dog has also since died. (COURTESY OF ALLIED SERVICES)\n<\/p>\n

\"Volunteer<\/p>\n

Volunteer Rebecca Farrell and volunteer director for Allied Services Hospice Laurie Fleming assemble materials for the Pet Peace of Mind program at Allied Services Hospice Center in Scranton Monday, January 19, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

\"Volunteer<\/p>\n

Volunteer Rebecca Farrell holds up a brochure attached to a pet care package for the Pet Peace of Mind program at Allied Services Hospices Center in Scranton Monday, January 19, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG \/ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 3<\/p>\n

Maui was an elderly pug who belonged to Scott and Cheryl Lewis, of Dalton. Allied Services Hospice & Palliative Care Pet Peace of Mind program brought comfort to Scott at the end of his life. The dog has also since died. (COURTESY OF ALLIED SERVICES)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

The 71-year-old Dalton grandfather died 10 weeks later, in May 2024. Maui and the orchid collection were both mentioned in his obituary.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt meant a lot,\u201d Cheryl Lewis said. Farrell later took care of Maui again.<\/p>\n

Through Pet Peace of Mind, an Allied hospice patient can receive help with most pet needs. The first home they visited had flea-infested cats. Volunteers will walk dogs, scoop kitty litter and arrange visits to an inpatient unit. The program can arrange for vet care and sometimes covers the cost, if needed. Volunteers might drop off pet food for a family in need.<\/p>\n

In the end, it can help find new homes when a patient or their survivors can no longer care for a pet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will help them to do that, and that gives them peace of mind, to let go, to be able to move on,\u201d said Laurie Fleming, the hospice program\u2019s coordinator of volunteer services. \u201cBecause some people won\u2019t be able to do that, knowing that Fluffy isn\u2019t going to be taken care of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fleming has seen it several times. One family came to their mother\u2019s bedside with the news that her cat had a new home. \u201cThat night she went, because she knew she could, because the cat was being taken care of,\u201d Fleming said.<\/p>\n

No one knew it at the time, but the woman had left money in her will to go to whoever adopted the cat.<\/p>\n

The \u201crehoming\u201d efforts are handled by animal welfare groups, not directly by Allied Services. Over four years, eight dogs and 37 cats have benefited. The groups found a prospective home for two birds, but they ended up elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Peace of Mind pets have advantages over other animals up for adoption. The program covers the adoption fees charged by most shelters. New owners take them home for free, and know that the animal is spayed or neutered and up to date on veterinary care. \u201cA person doesn\u2019t have to do a thing but come and love that pet,\u201d Fleming said.<\/p>\n

Fleming didn\u2019t grow up around pets. \u201cI have learned so much, and I have learned that pets are just as much of a family member as a human being is to that family,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his final days, Kenny Weaver of Pittston was glad that Presley, a spaniel, was booked to be neutered. Weaver had made a four-hour-long drive to pick up Presley as a surprise 50th birthday gift for his partner, Cindy Guthrie. Then his illness made dog care difficult.<\/p>\n

Weaver died prior to the surgery. Guthrie was relieved when Pet Peace of Mind followed through with the neutering. \u201cThe people were wonderful,\u201d Guthrie said.<\/p>\n

The program is solely for Allied\u2019s hospice patients, whether they live at home or in a facility. Other Allied patients and residents are not eligible.<\/p>\n

For four years, the cost has been covered by a $10,500 grant from the Robert H. Spitz Foundation, which is managed by the Scranton Area Community Foundation. Allied is reapplying. It also takes donations.<\/p>\n

How it works<\/p>\n

The Allied Services Hospice & Palliative Care Pet Peace of Mind program provides support for their patients with pets. Both patients living at home and in health care facilities are eligible, but it is for hospice patients only. For information on receiving help, volunteering or donating, contact Laurie Fleming at Lflemi@allied-services.org or 570-341- 4320.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Scott Lewis had a last wish. The passionate gardener wanted to see the Philadelphia Flower Show. He was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":111004,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[201,182,803,28,3138,178,180,179,289,181,2943],"class_list":["post-111003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-lackawanna-county","tag-local-news","tag-luzerne-county","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pets-and-animals","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news","tag-things-to-do","tag-top-stories-stt","tag-wyoming-county"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111003"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111003\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}