By Idy Fernandez
Source: Miami Herald
With a wet little black nose and deep brown eyes that draw "awws" from
even the grimmest folks, Maggie, a 7-year-old Lhasa-poodle, gives
patients, parents and hospital staff alike the soothing break they say
they need amid life at Miami Children's Hospital.
For the past six years, Maggie has been a pet therapy dog volunteer
with her owner, Gerry Bradley of Westchester, who worked at the
hospital as an oncology ward nurse for 16 years.
Now retired, Bradley and Maggie volunteer at the hospital once a week
for about three hours, visiting close to 30 patients in the surgical
waiting room, intensive care unit and neurological wings.
The visits have made Maggie famous around the hospital, with nurses
cooing at her from their stations and doctors stopping their rounds
with medical students to greet the little black dog as she roams the
halls of Miami Children's -- poofy tail wagging and ID collar
jingling.
"Maggie doesn't dance, sing or tell dirty jokes, she just gives lots
of love and comfort," 71-year-old Bradley said of what makes her pet a
success with people at the hospital.
There are about eight volunteers with pets in the hospital's therapy
program, which started at the hospital 10 years ago, said Cheryl
Volker, who trains participants and their dogs. Among the requirements
to be a pet therapy dog: The animals must be socialble and not a
safety threat, Volker said.
"Maggie's advantage is that she's a small dog that can fit in a
patient's bed and really connect with them," Volker said.
Other advantages that Maggie has are that Bradley chooses who she sees
and for how long, unlike other volunteers, who sometimes have a list
laid out for them, Bradley said. Choosing how they will spend their
time at the hospital allows them to see some of the same families and
establish a relationship throughout the course of a patient's stay,
she said.
The pair's Tuesdays usually start at the surgical waiting room where
sometimes anxious parents and relatives will sit nervously for hours,
Bradley said.
"As I was walking by, I saw how tense people there were and how for a
short period of time the dog takes their mind off their child's
surgery," Bradley said. "While they're petting Maggie or talking to
her, I usually try to ask if there is anything I can do for them --
whether it's a cup of coffee, or I've even done someone's laundry
before."
The Intensive Care Unit is next on Bradley and Maggie's route, Bradley
said. Maggie doesn't usually get to connect with many children there
because most of the patients are babies. Much like they do in the
waiting room, Maggie and Bradley try to ease a parent or relative's
mind with comforting words and a "kiss" from Maggie, Bradley said.
In one instance, a mother who had not held her infant in weeks just
wanted to hold Maggie, Bradley said, while another father broke into
tears when Maggie made his baby, who had been unresponsive for days,
giggle.
Finally, Maggie and Bradley head to the children's neurology ward,
where they meet with kids and teenagers who suffer from epilepsy,
cerebral palsy or were in accidents, among other cases.
There Maggie will climb into bed and snuggle with a patient or help
keep them calm while treatments are being administered. On a recent
visit, Danielle Morales of Kendall, who was celebrating her ninth
birthday at the hospital, asked to hold Maggie's paw while a nurse
drew blood for some tests.
"It hurts but I feel better holding Maggie," Danielle said.
"I wasn't even scared. . . . She's so cute, I really want to keep her
but I can't."
Providing that sort of comfort is what Bradley says it's all about for
her and the little black stray dog she found nearly eight years ago.
"I'll meet people in the hall and sometimes I'm on my way out and run
into someone who wants me to come by their room," said Bradley, who
gives patients get well cards with Maggie's picture after each visit.
"But as long as they feel a little more relaxed and at home with us
there, it's worth it."
Source: Miami Herald
With a wet little black nose and deep brown eyes that draw "awws" from
even the grimmest folks, Maggie, a 7-year-old Lhasa-poodle, gives
patients, parents and hospital staff alike the soothing break they say
they need amid life at Miami Children's Hospital.
For the past six years, Maggie has been a pet therapy dog volunteer
with her owner, Gerry Bradley of Westchester, who worked at the
hospital as an oncology ward nurse for 16 years.
Now retired, Bradley and Maggie volunteer at the hospital once a week
for about three hours, visiting close to 30 patients in the surgical
waiting room, intensive care unit and neurological wings.
The visits have made Maggie famous around the hospital, with nurses
cooing at her from their stations and doctors stopping their rounds
with medical students to greet the little black dog as she roams the
halls of Miami Children's -- poofy tail wagging and ID collar
jingling.
"Maggie doesn't dance, sing or tell dirty jokes, she just gives lots
of love and comfort," 71-year-old Bradley said of what makes her pet a
success with people at the hospital.
There are about eight volunteers with pets in the hospital's therapy
program, which started at the hospital 10 years ago, said Cheryl
Volker, who trains participants and their dogs. Among the requirements
to be a pet therapy dog: The animals must be socialble and not a
safety threat, Volker said.
"Maggie's advantage is that she's a small dog that can fit in a
patient's bed and really connect with them," Volker said.
Other advantages that Maggie has are that Bradley chooses who she sees
and for how long, unlike other volunteers, who sometimes have a list
laid out for them, Bradley said. Choosing how they will spend their
time at the hospital allows them to see some of the same families and
establish a relationship throughout the course of a patient's stay,
she said.
The pair's Tuesdays usually start at the surgical waiting room where
sometimes anxious parents and relatives will sit nervously for hours,
Bradley said.
"As I was walking by, I saw how tense people there were and how for a
short period of time the dog takes their mind off their child's
surgery," Bradley said. "While they're petting Maggie or talking to
her, I usually try to ask if there is anything I can do for them --
whether it's a cup of coffee, or I've even done someone's laundry
before."
The Intensive Care Unit is next on Bradley and Maggie's route, Bradley
said. Maggie doesn't usually get to connect with many children there
because most of the patients are babies. Much like they do in the
waiting room, Maggie and Bradley try to ease a parent or relative's
mind with comforting words and a "kiss" from Maggie, Bradley said.
In one instance, a mother who had not held her infant in weeks just
wanted to hold Maggie, Bradley said, while another father broke into
tears when Maggie made his baby, who had been unresponsive for days,
giggle.
Finally, Maggie and Bradley head to the children's neurology ward,
where they meet with kids and teenagers who suffer from epilepsy,
cerebral palsy or were in accidents, among other cases.
There Maggie will climb into bed and snuggle with a patient or help
keep them calm while treatments are being administered. On a recent
visit, Danielle Morales of Kendall, who was celebrating her ninth
birthday at the hospital, asked to hold Maggie's paw while a nurse
drew blood for some tests.
"It hurts but I feel better holding Maggie," Danielle said.
"I wasn't even scared. . . . She's so cute, I really want to keep her
but I can't."
Providing that sort of comfort is what Bradley says it's all about for
her and the little black stray dog she found nearly eight years ago.
"I'll meet people in the hall and sometimes I'm on my way out and run
into someone who wants me to come by their room," said Bradley, who
gives patients get well cards with Maggie's picture after each visit.
"But as long as they feel a little more relaxed and at home with us
there, it's worth it."
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