Canine companions helping home’s residents

A nursing home’s newest recruit is settling in well with a real wag in her tail, and a desire to get every challenge licked. Kirkley Manor a Kingsley Healthcare-run home in Kirkley Park Road, Lowestoft has welcomed Teddy, a Lhasa Apso, as a care home dog, joining her brother Monty.

Dani Gaston, manager atKirkley Manor and owner of the dogs, said: “It can be a real wrench for people used to pets all their life when the time comes for them to move into care and they are deprived of their canine companionship. “It creates a real sense of home if there are dogs around. “Residents are able to interact with them and stroke them, which works well for people living with dementia who are able to reminisce about pets that they have had.”