Care Center residents take “paws” with new neighbor

by Bonnie Kay Baldwin
Lake Mills Graphic
The latest Lake Mills Care Center resident is eliciting smiles from her new friends. She is a cute bundle of fur, nine weeks old, black and white golden doodle. Her owner is the care center’s administrator, Kersten Fisher.
While at the Care Center, Stella lives in Fisher’s office, plays with her toys, bed, food, and water. Although at night Kersten takes her home, during the day Stella can be seen making rounds in the morning and afternoon, up and down the hallways.
She enjoys attention and although big for a lap dog, she will sit on some residents’ laps, garnering much love and affection. Although she is not forced on those who don’t care for dogs or pets, she is a positive for most of the residents to have around. Right now, she is getting acclimated to her surroundings.
“Having pets around is therapeutic and often, you see a side of the residents that you wouldn’t see otherwise. You see their faces light up, and the center has more of a homey feel to it when they are around,” said Fisher. “Stella is so sweet and loving.”
Fisher said that Stella came from Cresco, and it is a goal of the ABCM Corp. to have a pet in every care center. Some of the other pets include, fish, birds and cats.
If you would like to meet Stella, just stop by the Lake Mills Care Center during daytime visiting hours.