By Lindsay Tice,Staff Writer
Sparky, a 10-year-old collie-shepherd mix, is a stress reliever for the people at d’Youville Pavilion.

LEWISTON – After five years at d’Youville Pavilion, Sparky knows the routine.

Visit people. Get treats. Visit more people. Get more treats. Play.

Get treats.

“We had to put him on a diet,” said Clinical Coordinator Marissa Varney.

For half his life, the 10-year-old collie-shepherd mix has been one of the Lewiston nursing home’s most popular features, a living, breathing (and sometimes barking) stress reliever for staff and residents. He spends most of his days wandering the halls, napping under the nurses’ station or nudging gently at people as they sit in their beds or wheelchairs.

“Hey Sparky!” said 56-year-old George Sidebotham when Sparky trotted up to his wheelchair one recent morning. As Sparky wagged his tail and looked up with a panting grin, Sidebotham rubbed his ears, stroked his thick black fur.

Then Sidebotham held out a Milk-B one. “Here, have a treat.”

A lifelong dog lover, Sidebotham had to leave his three Labrador retrievers when he entered d’Youville nearly two years ago after a heart attack. His wife brings his dogs in to visit sometimes, but it’s not the same as having constant companions. For Sidebotham and dozens of other long-term residents, Sparky fills that gap.

“It’s somebody you can talk to when you’re down,” Sidebotham said. “Every once in a while he climbs on my bed and we talk.”

The nursing home started allowing pets several years ago to reduce stress and make the units feel more homey. They tried several animals, including guinea pigs and birds. Sparky was the first dog.

Sparky was too rambunctious and needy for his owner, a d’Youville worker. But with up to 250 residents and dozens of staff members, he got all the playtime and attention he could want at d’Youville.

Although he had free roam of the entire building – and he learned how to ride the elevator – the fourth floor’s long-term care unit became Sparky’s home.

Day and night, he wanders the halls, ducking in and out of residents’ rooms. In between his rounds, he sleeps on residents’ beds, naps under the nurses’ station and lays in the hall, watching the wheelchairs roll by. When he needs go go out, he finds a staff member and barks.

“He’s quite spontaneous with his schedule,” said Joyce Martin, one of the support staff members who walks, feeds and cares for Sparky.

After five years, he knows when staff members are supposed to arrive and he greets them at the elevator door. He knows when a resident is sick or sad, and he spends extra time at their bedside.

Sparky has so boosted morale that the unit recently added three young cats to the mix. Halfway between playful kittens and aloof adults, Eden, Scotty and Callie delight residents with their antics – chasing each other, walking precariously along the hallway railing, curling up on top of the printer moments before it spits out papers.

Even other d’Youville units have decided to go with pets. The third floor is trying out a shy cocker spaniel named Noel. The second floor will adopt several kittens.

No doubt Sparky will still get his share of attention. And treats.

Sidebotham, for one, spends much of his day with Sparky. The dog gives him a reason to leave the wheelchair, to play and move. He knows exactly what life would be like at d’Youville without Sparky.

“Boring,” he said.