Lifestyle

Texas Children’s Hospital Hires a Full-Time Therapy Dog

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Texas Children’s Hospital is pleased to announce that they’ve hired their first full-time therapy dog, a two-year-old golden retriever named Elsa. Chron.com reports that the sweet pup started her job, which is funded by a family donation, in October, and it’s been going extremely well for Elsa and her new friends.

Elsa is calm, gentle, and loves to be petted. She’s the ideal dog for the job as she brings a sense of calm to the room and allows patients in the hospital to forget their troubles for a moment to stroke her and spend time with her.

Her handler, Sarah Herbek, arranges Elsa’s schedule with particular attention to trauma victims and those with prolonged stays. “Typically, the dog visits a patient twice a week, although in the case of one girl who was in renal failure and responsive only when Elsa was around, the dog spent 30 to 60 minutes at her bedside in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit every day during the last two weeks of the child’s life,” Chron.com explained.

The hospital uploaded a video on Facebook to show Elsa in action and give a sense of how important her role in the hospital truly is. Watch it here to catch a glimpse of Elsa as a puppy and see how she manages to brighten everyone’s day.