Dog Parade Lifts Spirits of Grand Rapids Assisted Living Community Residents During Pandemic

The Paws With A Cause nonprofit hosted a dog parade for residents at an assisted living community in Grand Rapids, Mich., reports MLive . The event sought to connect residents of the Beacon Hill at Eastgate community with the animals despite the COVID-19 pandemic. "Finding new ways to connect to the community during COVID is really important and to keep our residents' spirits bright and happy," said Beacon Hill's Sarah Johnson. Residents interacted with volunteers and learned about each dog that was paraded through the community. Several noted that the event reminded them of the love they have for past and current family pets. The program breeds and custom-trains four breeds of dogs — standard poodles, labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, and papillons — several of which were present during the event. "We wanted to do something in our community that would bring light to those who have been cooped up and not been able to venture out because of social distancing," said Paws With A Cause's Cara Conway. "This event allows us to do that and engage with our community members."