May 12, 2020: Nursing home residents in Oneonta, New York, get visits by animal shelter dogs. Oneonta is in the Mohawk Valley region, one of three upstate New York regions that will begin to reopen May 15, 2020, after coronavirus lockdowns. Staff from the Chestnut Park Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Oneonta, NY, and the Susquehanna animal shelter coordinated to put on a dog parade for residents of the nursing home. Susquehanna SPCA staff circled the outside of the facility, stopping at windows to show dogs and wave to the residents. Chestnut Park curently has 71 residents who have been unable to receive visitors for nearly two months due to the COVID19 pandemic. ‘This was great for everyone ‘the animals, our staff, and the people here,’ said Stacie Haynes, executive director of the Susquehanna SPCA. ‘We’ve all been cooped up too long, and just to see all the smiles was wonderful.’
Scott Mc Kiernan, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, ZUMA Press
ZUMAland.com 