Trent Hill Center kids bond with canine companion
By Samantha Lyles, Staff Writer, slyles@newsandpress.net
When a child is removed from an abusive or neglectful home, they often find themselves frightened, disoriented, and in need of comfort.
Fortunately, children placed at the Trent Hill Center for Children and Families in Hartsville have access to a unique care provider – a four-legged ambassador with a knack for sniffing out sadness and turning frowns upside down.
Trent Hill Center’s four-legged friend, Griffin. Photo Contributed
“Our dog on site is Griffin, and he is a golden retriever. He is my personal dog, and he’s between four and five (years old),” says Becky Hill, executive director at the Trent Hill Center. “Though he’s not trained, he is very friendly and great with kids.”
Hill says that even though Griffin has passed muster with DHEC and DSS, he is not technically a therapy dog. He’s more of a companion animal, an unexpected friend whose gentle and steady temperament may soothe a child caught up in a turbulent situation.
“He makes the kids feel better because he’s always happy to see them. Dogs can sense when people are sad, and they have a way of sidling up next to you and making you feel a bit better. Griffin does that very well,” says Hill.
The Trent Hill Center for Children and Families’ Bell House is a group home for children and youth who have been removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect. The Center aims to provide a safe and caring home for these children until they can be safely reunited with their families or placed in a permanent family foster care home or adoptive home. Though children placed at the Center are cared for by trained professionals, there is no such thing as too much love and happiness, and Griffin is proving a wonderful supplement to their already effective programs.
“Our first two kids (at the center) came from a home where they had tons of dogs and cats, and they were really missing them. So from the very first child that came in, I was able to see that Griffin made a connection and made them feel a little bit safer in a strange and unusual place,” says Hill. “It was their first time being taken from their home by DSS and, as you can imagine, they were very scared. But Griffin was able to speak a sort of universal language…and instantly it brightened them up.”
On another occasion, Hill allowed Griffin to spend the night at the Center. Several kids took the opportunity to sneak into Griffin’s dog bed and give him a cuddle, and staffers took multiple photos to document this impromptu slumber party.
The dog’s presence at the Center has been a blessing, but Hill says that Griffin may have to head home again if they ever take in a child who has issues with dogs.
“Luckily every child we’ve had so far is into dogs. It may happen eventually that we have a child who is allergic or who is afraid and (Griffin) wouldn’t be able to come in,” she says.
Hopefully, that won’t happen because Griffin has proven very adept at his new gig – so good in fact that Hill is considering getting him certified as a therapy dog. She also notes that several people who own therapy dogs have inquired about bringing them to the Trent Hill Center to visit with Griffin and the kids.
For now, this lucky pooch and his pack of new friends are enjoying their time together. Hill says Griffin spends his days getting hugged and doted on, playing endless games of fetch in the back yard, and napping with at least one child snuggled into his fur.
“He does not have a hard life,” says Hill. “He’s a happy guy.”
