Does your pet have what it takes?

YOUNGSTOWN — Visits by Cindy Stockdale and her dog, Lucy Sue, can mean brighter days for nursing home residents or patients at hospitals.

Stockdale, of Austintown, and her 7-year-old basset hound make the rounds in such facilities, touching the lives of the sick and infirm. They are part of   K-9s for Compassion.

Before being sent on visits, K-9s evaluates the dogs, said its founder, Katie Costello. Skills tests determine whether animals know basic commands and can be controlled by their owners. Aptitude tests simulate conditions likely to be encountered in a hospital or nursing home and see how the animal handles them, Costello said.

Tests usually take between 15 and 20 minutes, and part of the sessions include someone yelling or creating some other disturbance, said Lori Baker, an evaluator for K-9s. They also evaluate how the animal being tested will get along with other dogs.

Dogs must be at least a year old to be considered for the program, she added.

Costello said K-9s for Compassion got under way in March 2000 because her parents’ dog   made a big difference in the lives of those it encountered in a nursing home.

Some patients who hadn’t spoken for years responded favorably to the animal, she recalled.

For more information about K-9s for Compassion, call Costello at 534-2001.