Therapy dogs at Shriner's Hospital
Posted by Anne Corke on 2008-06-30. Filed under Monthly Feature
June 8, 2008
GALVESTON — Every Friday afternoon at 4, Maggie and Luke walk the halls of Shriners Burns Institute.
The two provide a special kind of treatment to the children at Shriners that no doctor or nurse could ever provide.
Maggie is a 12-year-old golden retriever that loves to play fetch, and Luke is a 3-year-old great Dane that enjoys walks around the unit.
Pet Partners has brought in animals other then Maggie and Luke in the past, such as cats and rabbits, but most recently the two dogs have been the most consistent visitors.
Christine Neugebauer, a music therapist at Shriners hospital, said Maggie and Luke bring a positive influence to the kids that no other treatment can really encompass.
“The dogs give the kids a sense of empowerment,” Neugebauer said. “Knowing they can do something as simple as walking the dog around the unit really brightens these kids days.”
Danay Chavarria, a patient at Shriners, has known Maggie for 10 years and met her when she was first admitted to Shriners as a 5-year-old.
Danay’s mother, Julie Chavarria said Danay truly looks forward to seeing Maggie every Friday.
“Being around and interacting with Maggie has really given her a chance to forget about the pain,” Chavarria said. “One of the first times Danay met Maggie was one of the first times we had really seen her smile after coming to Shriners.”
Becoming a Pet Partner was no easy task for Maggie and Luke. Both dogs were required to go through a certification process before they were able to become regular visitors at Shriners.
Becky Thomas, Maggie’s owner, has been involved in the program for 10 years.
Thomas said in order for the dogs to be able to come up to the hospital, they were required to go through a program with the Delta Society that trains pets for visiting animal programs in hospitals.
“They had to go through a skills test that tested basic obedience and how well the dogs worked with food,” Thomas said. “They were also screened with an aptitude test that put the dogs in a simulation similar to a hospital setting to determine their comfort level.”
Both Maggie and Luke could be seen laying on the floor with the children, being brushed, taking walks and playing fetch up and down the hospital halls.
“Interacting with these animals allows these kids the freedom to just be friends and nothing else,” Chavarria said.
Pet therapy gives these patients a different kind of focus and encouragement that they need in their recovery, Neugebauer said.
“They provide a genuine consistency that no person could ever give them,” she said.
Thomas said it is hard to truly realize the impact these animals are having on these children’s lives until you hear it from one of their occupational or physical therapists.
Maggie and Luke have motivated kids who struggle to walk and connected with those children who are introverted and noncommunicative.
“It’s a way to get them to do tasks while taking their minds off the pain,” Thomas said. “The dogs motivate them and give them something to focus on rather then the pain.”
By Shannon Daughtry
The Galveston Daily News