Release: Pet Therapy Brings Wellness to Chelsea Residents

There may be no medicine, device or procedure that brings as much peace and good feeling to residents of the Chelsea at Fanwood as Murphy.

"I feel 20 years younger when I walk into the room," said resident Elizabeth Shea, who is greeted enthusiastically by Murphy, a therapy dog in training. At only 8 months old, Murphy, an Australian Shepherd, could be the perfect pet — affectionate, obedient, compact and totally friendly.

"It's a documented fact that petting animals is soothing," says Joan Jewczyn, a former NBC News journalist who is now a certified pet therapist. Along with Murphy and Merit, a 10-year old Greyhound who is a fully certified therapy dog, Jewczyn has visited the Chelsea at Fanwood every Friday for the past six years.

"I wanted to give back to the community," she says of her post-news life as a pet therapist.

To become a certified therapy dog, the animal has to pass the American Kennel Club's Good Citizenship Test, which means obeying basic commands. Then, the dog and owner spend a day in training sponsored by a group like Therapet, a national organization that advocates using pets in various healthcare settings. At the Chelsea, the mission is simple — making residents feel good.

Resident Martha Brief sits on the couch and up jumps Murphy to give her some unsolicited love.

"He's so friendly," she says, an understatement as Murphy licks as much exposed skin as he can find.

Therapy dogs are also utilized at the Chelsea at Brookfield, the company's newest assisted living community in Belvidere, Warren County. There, Jersey, a 6-year-old German Shepherd, and pet therapist Christine Stefani, have just started visiting.

"The response is great, even from the staff," says Stefani, a nurse and mom whose experience with patients and children is a good as it gets for a pet therapist. "It's not just the dog wandering around. It's a team effort. I have experience interacting with patients, so I know how to approach people."