Pets brighten shut-ins’ days through Boston nonprofit

BOSTON – During the six months Robert Burke spent in a Brookline nursing home dying from cancer, Whitney Taylor regularly visited with her dog Barrington, a seven-pound Pomapoo, to brighten his days just a little and provide support. But it wasn't like she was an old friend. Taylor was matched to Burke through her volunteer work with PetPals, a branch of FriendshipWorks, a Boston-based nonprofit organization. The program aims to help ease loneliness and isolation among people in nursing homes a

BOSTON – During the six months Robert Burke spent in a Brookline nursing home dying from cancer, Whitney Taylor regularly visited with her dog Barrington, a seven-pound Pomapoo, to brighten his days just a little and provide support. But it wasn't like she was an old friend. Taylor was matched to Burke through her volunteer work with PetPals, a branch of FriendshipWorks, a Boston-based nonprofit organization. The program aims to help ease loneliness and isolation among people in nursing homes a…