Poodles brighten Anchin Pavilion Assisted Living Community

SARASOTA COUNTY — Black furry feet shuffled down the hallway on the first floor of Anchin Pavilion, an assisted-living community off Honore Avenue.

Although resident Carolyn Fraiden didn’t hear their pitter-patter on the carpet or the soft jingling of a dog collar, she nearly jumped out her seat in excitement as Ben, a black miniature poodle, raced around the corner and broke through a circle of residents. Kiera, a gray female miniature poodle, and Cali, a cocker spaniel, followed closely behind.

“I love them,” she says, clapping her hands together. “Oh, do I love these dogs. I’m very happy when I’m around them.”

Although Cali has been a resident of Anchin Pavilion for about one year, Ben and Kiera came to the facility just a few months ago after an elderly man in north Florida fell ill and gave them up for adoption. Various rescue organizations, including Florida Poodle Rescue and Honor Sanctuary Animal Rescue, worked together to bring Ben and Kiera to their new home.

The pair has adjusted quickly to their new environment.

“The residents sometimes call them the kids,” Resident Services Supervisor April Moschini says, noting the animals often can be found trailing behind staff members or visiting with residents. “It’s really fun because they see the dogs as part of the family. Some residents have been known to take the dogs on walks.”

Of the three canines, Ben is known as the jokester because of his silly antics, whether harassing the facility’s resident cats or jumping on the elevator to visit with residents on different floors. Cali is the most laid-back, content wherever she may be; and Kiera exhibits a gentle, matronly spirit.

“(Kiera) supposedly plays the piano, but we haven’t seen it yet,” Moschini says, adding both she and Ben know several tricks. “We put her on residents’ beds (to visit with them). She loves that.”

“It definitely brightens the residents’ day when they see a dog and can pet something soft and furry,” she says. “Many residents, when agitated or (anxious), get calmer when the dogs are there.”

Paul Feinroth, who lives at Anchin with his wife, Gertrude, agrees.

“They always come over,” says Feinroth, adding he loves to watch the animals play. “They’re very good. They make me feel relaxed.”

“They’re wonderful,” says Bernie Finkleman, 80. “They’re appreciated by everyone here — even (people who don’t really like dogs). It’s kind of like living in a home now, with the dogs.”

Ben and Kiera came to Kobernick Anchin, an independent retirement and assisted-living community, in early November after animal lover Nathan Benderson, founder of Benderson Development, began looking for another dog to place in the facility with Cali.

At the time, Honor Sanctuary Animal Rescue, at which Benderson volunteers and provides financial support, did not have any dogs specifically suited for an assisted-living facility. Honor’s Dari Oglesby contacted Lakewood Ranch resident Joani Ellis, of Florida Poodle Rescue, to see if the organization had any dogs that met the facility’s needs. Ben and Kiera, retired therapy and agility dogs, proved to be perfect matches.

“We looked for them special,” says Benderson, who stops by several times a week to visit with the dogs. “They’re made for something like this.”

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].