{"id":6214,"date":"2026-02-14T12:58:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T12:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/6214\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T12:58:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T12:58:09","slug":"geneva-daycare-dogs-bring-valentines-day-joy-to-seniors-at-bria-shaw-local","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/6214\/","title":{"rendered":"Geneva daycare dogs bring Valentine\u2019s Day joy to seniors at Bria \u2013 Shaw Local"},"content":{"rendered":"

The community room at Bria of Geneva<\/a> nursing home was decorated for Valentine\u2019s Day, with paper hearts suspended from the ceiling, cupcakes and chocolate roses at the ready for their party on Friday. <\/p>\n

And then it all went to the dogs \u2013 literally.<\/p>\n

DePAW Pet Resort<\/a> of Geneva general manager Michelle Harris brought Peter and Clover to deliver their valentines \u2013 made with their own paw and nose prints \u2013 and to mingle and enjoy all kinds of attention.<\/p>\n

Another employee, Danielle Woods, helped circulate the four-footed pair.<\/p>\n

\"Peter,<\/p>\n

Peter, a boggle \u2013\u00a0that is, a boxer-beagle mix \u2013\u00a0gets a treat from Bria of Geneva Activity Director Alice Ruffolo on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. DePAW Pet Resort in Geneva brought dogs to visit the nursing home residents. (Brenda Schory)<\/p>\n

Resident Josie Krecicki embraced Clover, a long-haired dachshund decked out in a red sweater, while Ruffolo herself gave a treat to Peter, a boggle \u2013 that is, a boxer-beagle mix.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow wonderful it is to have the doggies come and visit my residents and give love and share in their Valentine\u2019s Day,\u201d said Alice Ruffolo, activity director for Bria. \u201cNothing is better than doggie kisses on Valentine\u2019s Day.\u201d<\/p>\n

But how did the dogs make valentines? <\/p>\n

\"Ivy,<\/p>\n

Ivy, a French bulldog, puts paw prints on heart-shaped construction paper while at DePAW Pet Resort in Geneva. His Valentine was delivered to local nursing homes. ( Photo provided by DePAW Pet Resort )<\/p>\n

Well, with human assistance and some paint on construction paper, cut into heart shapes. Each card converts to a magnet and Christmas ornament.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was such a neat project,\u201d said Kimberly Tanquary of Batavia<\/a>, whose white lab Tucker goes to the daycare at 100 S. Glengarry Drive, Geneva. \u201cThey made a snowman in winter with paw prints on it. It just makes us laugh so hard \u2013 it\u2019s still on the fridge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tucker,<\/p>\n

Tucker, a white lab belonging to Kimberly Tanquary of Batavia, puts paw prints on heart-shaped construction paper while at DePAW Pet Resort in Geneva. His Valentine was delivered to local nursing homes. (Brenda Schory)<\/p>\n

Tanquary was all for the dogs visiting Bria residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really touched me,\u201d Tanquary said. \u201cNow this is going to go to someone and put a smile on their face and make them laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Melissa Burnett of North Aurora, these art projects are a stimulating enrichment activity for Nova, a white and tan pit bull.<\/p>\n

\"Lennon,<\/p>\n

Lennon, a long-haired dachshund, puts paw prints on heart-shaped construction paper while at DePAW Pet Resort in Geneva. His Valentine was delivered to local nursing homes. (Photo provided by DePAW Pet Resort )<\/p>\n

\u201cIt spreads joy to both the dogs and the seniors,\u201d Burnett said. \u201cDePAW does a lot of wonderful art projects. They do Christmas crafts and Mother\u2019s Day crafts. It uses a different part of their brains.\u201d<\/p>\n

St. Charles<\/a> resident Robin Metzger\u2019s shepherd-pit bull mix Remi also goes to DePaw.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey do the funnest things at this daycare,\u201d Metzger said. \u201cThere is something for every holiday. They even have a prom for these dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Buster,<\/p>\n

Buster, a corgi mix, puts pawprints on heart-shaped construction paper while at DePAW Pet Resort in Geneva. His Valentine was delivered to local nursing homes. (Photo provided by DePAW Pet Resort )<\/p>\n

To facilitate tie-dying their own tote bags and bandanas, the staff puts the object in a plastic bag with the paint, Metzger said. They smear peanut butter outside the bag, and the dogs\u2019 licking ultimately results in an exquisitely tie-died art project.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like I have a toddler going to preschool,\u201d Metzger said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The community room at Bria of Geneva nursing home was decorated for Valentine\u2019s Day, with paper hearts suspended…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6215,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[1979,65,898,305,899,5123],"class_list":{"0":"post-6214","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-geneva","8":"tag-breaking","9":"tag-geneva","10":"tag-kane-county","11":"tag-local","12":"tag-local-news","13":"tag-valentine-s-day-2021"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6214","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6214"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6214\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}