As the therapist walked down the hall at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Monday morning, his nails clicked against the tile and his blonde tail wagged back and forth.
Nurses called his name across the hall and a receptionist leaned over her counter to pet the therapy dog.
“I’ll hear while I walk down the hall: ‘There’s a dog in the hospital!’” said Toby’s trainer Carolyn Crowe. “He likes (going to) the floors because he’s the rock star there.”
Together, Crowe and Toby, a big yellow dog, walk from room to room visiting patients and greeting nurses and hospital staff.
“We just wander around and see who wants to see us,” Crowe said.
In each room, Toby finds a nice spot on the floor, while Crowe chats with patients. She said the duo’s visits give people a nice distraction during their stay.
“Toby is an ex-leader dog for the blind — he couldn’t be a leader dog because he was too lazy,” Crowe laughed.
On Monday, Toby made a stop at Karen Christie’s room. Karen’s husband, Tom, said his wife’s face lights up when Toby walks in.
“We really love animals and it’s great to see him,” Tom said.
Crowe said Toby’s calm personality and intuition around patients make him a good fit at the hospital.
Crowe is equally popular.
She’s been a volunteer at the hospital since 1987, but she started bringing Toby, a certified therapy dog, in 2008.
In 2012, Crowe developed the Heavenly Hounds program, a group of people with trained therapy dogs who visit patients at various medical facilities.
Volunteers through Crowe’s Heavenly Hounds make visits to the hospital about three days a week, and hope to add a fourth day to their rotation, Crowe said.
“Carolyn is such a generous spirit,” said Stephanie Helton, director of marketing and public relations at the hospital. Helton said Crowe was named the St. Joseph Mercy Volunteer of the Year for 2012.
She said the hospital wouldn’t be the same without its 150 volunteers and the Mercy Auxiliary Volunteer Organization.
“It’s incredibly valuable,” Helton said. “We wouldn’t be able to function without our volunteers.”
Crowe’s reasons for volunteering are simple.
“I like to bring people out of their shells,” she said. “My whole thing is to make a difference in a small way.”
~ Courtesy of The Time Herald
Tags: dog makes rounds, dog therapy, dog visits hospital, dog visits patients, Heavenly Hounds, hospital dog
