Volunteering duo: Richard and Jack the Cockapoo
Richard Marlton and his Cockapoo, Jack, are volunteers at Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice, offering comfort, companionship and joy to patients, their families and staff. Richard’s wife, Jean, was cared for at the hospice during the final five weeks of her life. It was Jean’s wish that Jack would continue as a Pets as Therapy (PAT) dog, bringing love and warmth to others, just as he had done for her.
How Sue Ryder helped Jean
My wife Jean was diagnosed with stage 3C ovarian cancer in May 2022. She had chemotherapy and an operation and doctors thought she was all clear, but it came back, and this time as secondary cancer of the stomach.
Jean wanted to stay at home to die, but although the district nurses were very good, it could take up to three hours to get her the pain relief she needed. It all became a bit too much and the nurses suggested we look at Sue Ryder St John’s Hospice. We didn’t think a hospice was the right place for us, but eventually decided to try.
From the first day, I slept in the same room as Jean, and from the second day, Jack slept with us, too.
Sometimes, it was a race between Jack and me to see who got the best spot on the put-up bed first, and he would tend to win. We got to know the staff there, and they got to know us. The care was second to none.
One morning (and she wasn’t eating much by then) Jean fancied some custard, so I asked the kitchen, and five minutes later a bowl of custard came up for her. It was that kind of thing that made a difference. Nothing seemed to be too much trouble.
Jean wanted to go out into the garden, so they got a wheeled bed, helped her in and took her there, which she loved.
Her room was superb too, with a view outside and a window which we could see the sunrise through in the morning.
In the last hours of Jean’s life, the Sue Ryder Nurses offered to take Jack, so we didn’t need to worry about him. I will always remember when he came back to me, they said, ‘he’s been up to mischief.’ Someone had opened the door of the nurses' office, and he had zoomed out down the corridor, down the stairs, down another corridor (chased by two nurses), and into the maintenance office where he knew he would get treats. It was a light moment to what was a sad ending.
Jean told me a little while later: ‘When I am gone Jack will look after you.’ She didn’t know she had cancer at the time.
After Jean had passed, I had Jack brought back into the room – and I lifted him onto the bed so that he understood. I owed it to Jack to know Jean was gone.
Meeting Jack the cockapoo
In 2021, we started looking for a Cockapoo puppy. When we visited the puppies, they were only six weeks old. Jean pointed at one with a light blue collar and said, ‘That one, and he’s called Jack’, I didn’t get a say.
Jean had said to me she thought Jack would make a great therapy dog, so we started in the summer of 2023 going through the procedure of getting him registered as Pets as Therapy (PAT). The plan was Jack would introduce us to patients, Jean would chat with them and I would provide the transport. When Jean became unwell, we put it on hold.
In memory of Jean
After Jean’s funeral and as things started to settle, I decided I was going to set about getting Jack registered as a therapy dog. He was ‘interviewed’ for an hour, and passed the test with flying colours. We then started visiting St John’s Hospice in August 2024. This I am doing in memory of Jean.
It was a while before Jack and I went into the room where Jean stayed, but when we did, Jack went up to bed, stood up on his hind legs, and looked for her. He remembered the room. He hadn’t done it in any other room we had been in.
Since Jean has died, volunteering has given me something to focus on. Everyone at the hospice is so friendly, and they value volunteers. I remember we were all given gifts, and Andy, the maintenance guy, handed me a box. Inside there were treats for Jack, a bottle for me and a sign which read: ‘a spoilt dog named Jack lives here’. It was lovely.
Volunteering with Jack is the most worthwhile thing I have ever done in my life. It can be hard, but it can also be very uplifting.
I know from the Sue Ryder Nurses that patients and relatives have said how much it has helped them. That feels good to know.
It feels like I am giving back to the hospice for everything they did for Jean, Jack and me.