At Redcot , our Haslemere based residential care home, to ‘paw-mark’ this year’s International Dog Day, the residents have been having a ‘paw-fect’ time with Bentley, their four-legged furry friend. Bentley, a beautiful black Labrador, visits Redcot on a regular basis as his ‘Human’, Helen Taylor-Bray, is the care home’s Chef. “The residents adore Bentley, so I bring him along with me to work as often as I can. He knows his way around Redcot, so as soon as we arrive, he wags his tail as if to say, “Have good day at work Mum, I’m off to spend the day with my friends” and off he trots to find his playmates.” said Helen.
Bentley is five-years-old and has been visiting Redcot with Helen for seven months. Over this time, he has made firm friendships with the residents. “Bentley loves all the residents, but it’s clear that he does have a few special chums,” said Jan Daly, one of our Regional Directors. “One of which is Susan Osbourne, who has been a resident at Redcot since 2022. She has a deep love of dogs as she used to be a professional Breeder.”
“I love Bentley’s visits, he’s really cute and so intelligent – you could say he’s very ‘tail-ented’,” said Susan. “He really lights up the room as soon as he arrives and he keeps us all entertained until he goes home.”
Bentley is a real character and loves nothing more than playing games, doing his tricks for treats and snuggling up for cuddles.
“Bentley is very intelligent, he’s extremely ‘claw-ver’,” added Jenny Ryder, one of Redcot’s Activities Coordinators. “He has a very kind nature and calm temperament which is ideal for interacting with the residents. After he’s said goodbye to Helen, Bentley does like to make an entrance to make sure the residents know he’s arrived.
“He’ll make a point of going straight into the Lounge and saying ‘Hello’ to each resident. Once he’s sure he’s not missed anyone, it’s time for a gentle game of inside ‘Fetch’ followed by a little rest and lots of cuddles.”
Seeing Bentley is also a great reminiscing conversation topic for the residents as they often talk about dogs they have had as family pets or when they were younger. “The residents do love animals, especially dogs and cats,” continued Jan. “During a recent reminiscing chat, one resident told me that the cute dog character Toto in the 1942 film The Wizard of Oz was played a female Cairn Terrier named Terry but because of the role’s popularity, her name was officially changed to Toto.”
“I learn something new from the residents every day,” added Jenny. “I didn’t know until a resident told me that it was a male Rough Collie called Pal who was the first dog to portray Lassie, who was written as a female Rough Collie, and that the dogs who later went on to play Lassie were actually his descendants.”
“Bentley enjoys seeing all the residents, he’d come to work with me every day if I let him,” said Helen. “He has great fun being the centre of attention and is not happy when we have to leave at the end of the day.”
“Bentley thoroughly enjoys visiting Redcot as often as he can to see his care home friends, they are his ‘Pack’ and he cares for them all very much,” added Jenny. “It’s wonderful to hear the residents chatting to him and sharing their dog ‘tails’ with each other.”
“It’s lovely to see the residents’ faces light up when they see Bentley, his tail doesn’t stop wagging and they do not stop smiling. As the famous quote says, ‘A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself,’ and you can see how true that is the way Bentley loves all the residents,” concluded Jan.
Find out more about Redcot care home by calling 01428 644 637 or emailing redcot@fote.org.uk.