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Vol. 38, No. 18
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2-17-2009
By: Adam King Puppy loveTherapy dogs bring smiles to Med Center patients, staff
What makes a good Pet Pal?
Margaret High-Thomas, associate director of Volunteer Services in the Medical Center, would enjoy nothing more than to expand the Pet Pals Program there.
“I would love to have a team coming in every day,” she said.
But it takes a special dog to qualify.
High-Thomas said breed, or lack thereof, generally doesn’t matter. In addition to Lizzy, a beagle, there is a Bernese Mountain dog, a pug, a miniature poodle, a cocker spaniel, a golden retriever, a German Shepherd, a Newfoundland, two terriers, a boxer, a schnauzer, some Labrador mixes and a King Charles spaniel.
“It’s the temperament of the dogs and their owners that determine how good the dog is going to be,” she said.
Beagles, for example, might find it challenging because they love to bark. But Lizzy does fine, according to owner Sheila Wheeler, because she reserves her vocals for squirrels, which have yet to be seen in the surgical unit.
And while many dog owners tell High-Thomas their dogs are good with people, even strangers, that’s not enough to become a therapy dog.
“The dog has to not overly startle with loud noises, such as a tray of food being dropped or a wheelchair falling over,” she said.
“They can react but not overreact. They have to be able to stay on command and shouldn’t bark or lick, but they’re dogs, so a little of that is expected. They are truly special dogs because some patients want them on the bed with them.” |
Lizzy is a comfort-giver extraordinaire who makes it her mission to brighten a patient’s stay in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit at University Hospital.
The fact she stands just a foot off the ground and is furry only adds to her charm.
As one of 16 dogs that participate in the OSU Medical Center’s Pet Pals program, Lizzy waddles into the ward every Wednesday between 1 and 3 p.m., eager to be a substitute for a patient’s missed pet or simply a source of fun in a place known more for its sterility.
“Lizzy reacts to the patients very well, and she even received a customer service award from the hospital,” said Lizzy’s chauffeur and owner, Sheila Wheeler, who is a 15-year OSU employee. “There was a patient who was non-responsive and the nurses asked if I would bring Lizzy in. Within two visits on the same day, the patient was actually petting her and trying to see her. Lizzy fell asleep by his side for a few minutes, so she seems to be in tune to what the patients need.
“Of course, for her it’s just all these people petting her and telling her how wonderful she is.”
Lizzy and the other licensed therapy dogs have significant sway in the Med Center; they even have their own ID badges. But those badges are only earned after undergoing a rigorous certification process — which includes a basic obedience class, a two-hour test to judge their readiness and a field test in a school, nursing home or library to get real-world experience.
It’s no cakewalk for the owners either.
“The training is probably one of the most challenging things I’ve done in terms of staying in control of the situation and being confident,” said Wheeler, who adopted Lizzy from Franklin County’s foster care program.
OSU’s Pet Pal program has been around since 1992, and other hospital systems in the area, including Mount Carmel and Ohio Health, run similar programs.
Margaret High-Thomas, associate director of Volunteer Services in the Med Center, said Pet Pal dogs are available in Harding, Dodd and Talbot halls, University Hospital and UH East as well as the Ross Heart Hospital.
The dogs are not allowed to see patients who are too ill or go into isolation rooms, even though they have to meet high standards of cleanliness before coming to the Med Center.
Before therapy dogs can enter a room, patients are asked if they’d like a visit. One patient even put a sign up in her room asking Lizzy come visit with her.
When patients can’t be seen, Lizzy gets all the love she wants from the doctors, nurses and visitors to the Med Center. It usually takes her half an hour just to get from the front door up to the fourth floor because everyone wants to stop and pet her.
“I’m proud of Lizzy and it’s rewarding to see people smile, even for a few minutes, so we can help them have a good day,” Wheeler said.
Sometimes the dogs are called in to be with a patient who is dying and wants an animal by his or her side.
“They might have had a previous visit by a therapy dog or could have had a family pet, which aren’t allowed in the hospitals,” Wheeler said. “Those moments don’t happen very often.”
But they are the memorable ones.
High-Thomas recalls Barb Guertal and her boxer, Noel, were asked by the hospital nursing staff to come visit a blind man who had been brought in and refused to communicate with them.
“For 45 minutes Noel sat still and leaned against his leg,” High-Thomas said. “He began to pet her with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes. Eventually the man allowed the staff to work with him.”
Wheeler didn’t expect to get a therapy dog until after she retired. But going through her own serious illness convinced her to find Lizzy now. She’s certainly glad she did.
“The hospital is part of my community, so I care about what goes on there, the people who work there and the patients,” Wheeler said. “This is just one more thing I can do for them.”
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