Notre Dame administrator brings four-legged partner to the 'office'

By Hannah G. Snell
The Catholic Free Press Intern
WORCESTER – If you walk into Emmanuel Ikomi’s office at Notre Dame Health Care Center, you might be greeted with barking, if it’s your first visit.   
“That’s her job; she guards my office,” Mr. Ikomi says of the source of the noise. But, he says, she won’t bite. Around the office are stuffed animals, tennis balls, and a dog bed.
That’s because Lucy, Mr. Ikomi’s miniature schnauzer, accompanies him to Notre Dame, where he’s administrator and executive director of long term care.
“I think for me it’s a win-win situation,” he says. “When I got her in 2008, she got trained and I continued to train her, and it paid-off, because every nursing home I’ve been in as an administrator, I’ve always taken her with me.”
For the last 10 years, Lucy has commuted with him from their North Shore home to his jobs, most of which have been with faith-based organizations, “which is where I believe I belong,” he says.
This health care center is on the Plantation Street property where Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur lived for decades, where they and their collaborators now serve other people too.
Lucy makes an ideal “business partner,” according to Mr. Ikomi, because of her size (roughly 20 pounds), and her hypoallergenic coat. This makes her perfect for sitting in patients’ laps, which happens throughout the day.   
“I had seen the isolation, and sometimes loneliness, within the long term care or assisted living … in 2008,” he says. “I decided to get a dog … that I could train so she could go to work with me.” He says he thinks her temperament aligns with his work philosophy of compassion and communication.   
“My job – it’s not only to be the administrator, but also for me to show compassion and love for the employees and the residents,” he says. “If I have a work companion … in this case Lucy, she will help to show another side of me which doesn’t necessarily come out right away, given the title and responsibility that I hold.”
When residents and employees are feeling stressed or having a bad day, they may pay a visit to Mr. Ikomi’s office and spend time with Lucy.  
“They’ll go back, and then there will be no problem,” he says.
Lucy also helps him.
“Given my position, sometimes it is a lonely job,” he says. “Sometimes it is difficult to relate to the employees at first, because people don’t know me. And I realized that by bringing the dog with me, it would help to break the ice.  
“Of course, if you are able to show the employees that you care – before you tell them how much you know – I think you’ll have a lot of followers, and can execute your vision,” he says. “I think we’re in a better place now than nine or 10 months ago when I took over.”   
While Lucy is open to visits from residents (and employees) throughout the day, she has to work too.
“She has a special assignment here at Notre Dame, as she’s on the activity calendar,” Mr. Ikomi says. “She is scheduled to go to the units. Immediately, I found out that we don’t have a therapy pet coming to visit on a monthly basis.”   
Before settling in at Notre Dame, Mr. Ikomi worked at Newbury Court in Concord where some residents formed a Lucy fan club. He says he mails them photos of her.
After leaving, he encouraged the facility to connect residents with another dog.
“Otherwise, the seniors go back into this space of isolation,” he says. The visits gave them something to talk about together.
Seeing patients without visitors, Mr. Ikomi says, is one of the hardest parts of his job.
 Lucy also helps with other difficulties. Mr. Ikomi recalls a time when he was relaying unfortunate news to an employee. Although other people were also present, Lucy leaped right into that employee’s lap. Mr. Ikomi says that calmed the person and demonstrated Lucy’s ability to sense emotion.   
Although Lucy is adored by many, one resident, Sister Evelyn Matarese, a Sister of Notre Dame, is the most attached to her, according to  Mr. Ikomi.
“I’ve seen Sister when she’s down, and she lights up around Lucy,” he says.
When Mr. Ikomi first met Lucy at a pet store, he envisioned her being part of his work life. So he enrolled her in behavioral training courses at four months old.
Now Lucy accompanies him anywhere – from large crowds to airplanes. And he continued using the training techniques. Around Notre Dame, he controls the type and supply of dog treats.
“You can go through all the training you want, but if you, the dog owner, do not continue with the training, that’s when you have a dog that will not behave,” Mr Ikomi says.
Lucy gets along with nearly all patients, even those who may be afraid of dogs, he says. She also enjoys spending time with his children.  
“When she sees kids, she gets very excited, because I used to take her to the daycare center, when my 14-year-old was about 4 years old,” he says. “So she is very comfortable with children as well.” When children visit Notre Dame, she usually spends time with them.
Lucy also gets along with other animals.
“She’s a very mild, compassionate dog,” Mr. Ikomi says. “She will not bite; I can even trust her with a guinea pig. At New England Home for the Deaf we had an employee who had a cat, and she would bring the cat to the office, and they would play in the office.”  
When Mr. Ikomi and Lucy are not working, they enjoy kayaking, gardening, and bike riding, which he cites as a way to manage stress.
His career has special meaning though. He says his attraction to senior care traces back to his West African roots.
“Culturally, it is an obligation to take care of the elderly,” he says. “We do not have nursing homes.”
He says his love and appreciation of animals was fostered at a young age, and he grew up with pets, including guinea pigs, doves, cats, box turtles, and a German shepherd.  
However, he finds a special bond with dogs, which led him to Lucy.