A registered nurse posted a video of her therapy dog, JJ, caring for a hospice patient in her last month in a display of affection that has been shared more than 240,000 times on Facebook.
"What we do is absolutely touching, but the depth of the response to the video is amazing, as well as heart-warming," Tracy Calhoun, a nurse and JJ's handler, told NBC affiliate King5.
JJ's Facebook page, where status updates are written from the dog's perspective, said the woman in the now viral video has "very few people visit her." The woman died a day after the video was filmed, Calhoun said.
"She cannot see and often does not wake up, but she did like having her hand on my fur," JJ explained. "She was very calm during my visit. We were listening to Yeats, by the way. I was very insistent to have her touch me, more so than usual. We fell asleep later with her hand splayed on my head, both of us snoring (no proof of that!) I sure can be silly at times, but I also know when to be quiet and present. Her caregivers were very appreciative when they saw this video."
Sassy much?
Posted by JJ, Hospice Therapy Dog on Monday, August 24, 2015
Since the video has been posted, JJ's following on Facebook spiked from 1,800 supporters to 7,000 in 48 hours, according to King5. As of Wednesday afternoon, the page had more than 54,000 "likes."
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JJ has been a certified therapy dog since she was 1 year old, the dog's Facebook page says. The golden retriever is part of Project Canine and is also a HOME Animal Assisted Crisis Response K9.
