It’s an exciting week for our former facility dog Angus - his handler is graduating graduate school and he is retiring!
Angus and Meg moved to Mississippi 2 years ago to work at Mississippi State University while Meg was in graduate school. They have worked with students and staff on MSU’s campus, students and staff at Project Impact - an early intervention preschool, and in the youth court system in Oktibbeha county.
Angus has made such a Pawsitive impact in Mississippi! Even though he’s retiring from being a facility dog, he plans to continue to support the Starkville community through work as a therapy dog.
Way to go Angus & Meg, we’re SO proud of you 🫶🏻❤️
It’s always a good day for Medical Play 🧸🩺🩻
Shannon & Noelle engage in lots of Medical Play with our Heart Center patients who are on Berlins. A Berlin is a type of mechanical ventricular assist device (also called a VAD) and works as a pump for your heart.
Having a Berlin requires a lot of education on how to take care of, work with, and move around with the pumps & machine. From dressing changes to knowing what all the beeps and noises mean, medical play is a great way to provide education and empowerment to our patients over their environment. It also helps when preparing for procedures or other events that can happen on a regular basis.
Knowledge is power! And when we know more about our bodies and the machines that help them, the less fearful we become 💪🏻❤️
Today is National Hug Your Dog Day!
We’ve been a little distracted (with hugging our dogs) that we almost forgot to post about it!
A hug can go a long way in helping someone feel seen, safe, and secure. We hope the next time you need a hug, you let someone (or a furry friend) know ❤️🫂
Have a great weekend furriends! We’ll be back with more important & very professional material on Monday 😁
Another successful April Fools 😜😆
Lawton took a tour around the Heart Center today with Shannon and tricked our Doctors, Nurses & Music Therapist into thinking he was Noelle. Luckily, it’s all fun and games around here…because no one ever gets upset when meeting another furry friend 🧡
What unit should we prank next year??
There’s a Silly Goose on the loose 🪿😆
Happy 4th Birthday Melman!
Last week we celebrated all week long with 4 unit patient parades, hosted an event for bedside Care Givers, a PICU staff support party of 70+ coworkers, and ended the week with a patient & family party in the Library. Melman, you prove everyday that laughter is the best medicine and that being silly can have a greater purpose.
Join us in wishing Melman a happy birthday in the comments below 🎉🎂🎁
These furry pros made a special stop at the @tchouopen , spreading joy and wagging tails 🐾
Through the @pawsitive_playtch program, our specially trained facility dogs bring comfort and support to children facing hospital stays, new diagnoses or medical procedures.
Lawtons ready FOUR launch 🚀👽🛰️☄️🔭🪐🛸🌎
Happy 4th Birthday to everyone’s favorite lap sitting, head resting, silly goober, snuggle buddy Lawton! We have loved watching you serve our Hem/Onc population this year with weekly groups, Art Therapy sessions, special events and so much more.
Lawton, you’ve given so much love, comfort, and peace to patients and families when they needed it the most 💜 From holding paws and hard goodbyes, to celebrating remissions and big miles stones! We love you Lawty Boy!
Help us wish Lawton a Happy Birthday in the comments below 🎉🎂🥳
These are the Facility Dogs helping change the lives of hospitalized children and their families on a daily basis.
💙Pinto
🩵Pluto
💚Crosby
💛Lawton
🧡Cohen
🩷Noelle
❤️Melman
Before they became the professionals that they are today, they were once just puppies. Learning and exploring the world with their puppy raisers who knew they’d be destined for bigger things.
From every handler, we want to say THANK YOU! You helped raise, train, and develop these pups into the greatest sources of hope, positivity, and support our hospital has to offer.
We’re so proud of where they came from, to where they are now, and all the good they give to the world today.
🫶🏻🐕🦺🦮🏥
@canineorg@canineassistants@texaschildrens@texaschildrenspeople
Coming to the hospital for appointments can be hard.
Coming for routine lab work can be hard.
Coming to the hospital knowing you’ll need to have Botox injections done that day, can be hard.
Everyday we see kids having to do hard things ranging from difficult conversations, to scans, or procedures. As Child Life Specialist & Facility Dog Handlers, we are proud to stand alongside our brave friends and help them by offering a friendly face and a paw for support whenever needed ❤️🐾
March is Child Life Month, and you know what that means, it’s time for Teddy Bear Clinic 🧸🫧🩻🩺
Melman, Crosby & Pluto participated in showing patients and families different procedures, imaging, and coping techniques they may encounter while in the hospital, as well as gaining mastery over the environment through medical play.
Play is the greatest way for kids to learn and become comfortable with new environments. As Child Life Specialist, we are trained to incorporate play into our practice when working with children experiencing a variety of illnesses, treatments, and procedures.
Our favorite way to build trusting relationships and provide safe spaces is through play with our hard working facility dogs ❤️
IRU cotreats on the playground couldn’t get any better… unless you invite all the facility dogs for outside PLAYTIME!
Dogs in order: Crosby, Pinto, Lawton & Noelle
