Great morale boost! Grey the 160lb ‘gentle giant’ therapy dog bonds with nursing home residents in adorable footage
- Grey the Great Dane brings joy to people living in care facilities in Pittsburgh
- He was made a certified therapy dog at 14 months during the Covid-19 pandemic
- His owner Charlene Potts uses social media and a website to update his progress
Footage shows Grey, the ‘gentle giant’ therapy dog, bringing joy to people at several nursing homes and care facilities around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
In a video posted on Monday, November 22, the huge Great Dane can be seen visiting nursing homes and care facilities, providing a much-needed boost for the residents living there.
His owner Charlene Potts said two-year-old Grey has already clocked up nearly 130 visits across the Pittsburgh region after becoming a therapy dog during the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘After this gentle giant captures everyone’s attention with his size — 165 pounds — it’s his sweet and personable disposition that earns him fast friendships’, she told Storyful.
Footage shows Grey, a 165-pound therapy dog, bringing joy to people at several nursing homes and care facilities around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Wearing a harness with the words ‘Hi, I’m Grey. Please pet me’ printed on it, the Great Dane is taken around the care facilities and introduced to residents living there
Grey brings joy to an elderly man in a wheelchair and is also seen enjoying the attention of staff at the homes
In a video posted on YouTube, the huge pet can be seen bringing joy to an elderly man in a wheelchair and enjoying the attention of staff.
Wearing a harness with the words ‘Hi, I’m Grey. Please pet me’ printed on it, the Great Dane is taken around the care facilities and introduced to residents living there.
One elderly woman, who is also in a wheelchair, is seen stroking Grey, while he calmly stands next to her.
He is then taken over to a bed where an elderly man is lying.
The presence of Grey brings a huge smile to the man’s face as he strokes the huge Great Dane while he stares down at the resident.
After a while, Grey opts to lie down next to his new friend.
He is also seen in the care of two women, enjoying the new-found attention and the petting.
On a website set up for Grey, Mrs Potts said the Great Dane was ‘absolutely made to be a therapy dog’ and had ‘no doubts’ he would excel at it.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, she was initially delayed in beginning the process of Grey’s certification but after paperwork, a veterinary exam, testing and an observation process, Grey was made a certified therapy dog at 14 months.
Visits were initially halted due to the restrictions in place at care facilities due to the pandemic, but Grey has now started visiting residents.
One elderly woman, who is also in a wheelchair, is seen stroking Grey, while he calmly stands next to her
On a website set up for Grey, Mrs Potts said the Great Dane was ‘absolutely made to be a therapy dog’ and had ‘no doubts’ he would excel at it
To ensure that Grey was ready these visits, Mrs Potts took him out to restaurants with outdoor dining so he could experience different sights, sounds and smells.
She documents these visits on the Instagram page @grey_thegreatdane and her TikTok page @usandthedog.
She uses her TikTok account to share other videos of Grey visiting care home residents.
In one, Mrs Potts captioned the video saying: ‘Grey the Great Dane became a therapy dog during the Covid-19 pandemic and has brought joy to so many lives.’
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