IRISH WOLFHOUND SOCIETY OF IRELAND

A soft answer turns away anger.
Múchadh feirge sofhreagra

Wonderful bedside manner of hospital's volunteer dog
11th October 2008

By Kate Thompson

NO IT’S not just a shaggy dog tale – this is Fred, the latest volunteer recruit at Southampton General Hospital.

His hangdog expression and soulful eyes have made the Irish wolfhound a real winner with the elderly ladies on G ward.

Every Wednesday morning the handsome pooch can be spotted with his owner Karen Scott – and patients and staff alike are benefiting from his visits.

While some simply stare in disbelief, the majority are bowled over by his canine charms.

Weighing in at 11st, the three-year-old is led by Karen and introduced to the patients.

“He’s got such a nice nature and he really enjoys meeting all the people on the wards. I have to be a bit careful as he is so big and I always make sure there is no food near patients to distract him,” said Karen, 46, a human resourcesmanager from Southampton.

One patient who took a real shine to Fred was 102-year-old Clarice Richardson, from Southampton.

“I think he’s lovely. We can’t go out at the moment so it is nice that he can come to see us,” she said.

Karen got involved with Pets As Therapy because she wanted to do some charity work and felt she and Fred would be a winning combination.

With plenty of talk of MRSA and infection control in hospitals, it may seem incongruous to have a dog visiting the wards.

But Fred has been checked over, wormed and vaccinated – if either he or Karen are the slightest bit unwell their visit is postponed.

On the day of his latest visit, Fred had a slight cut on his foot so he was wearing a protective bootee.

Voluntary services manager Kim Sutton said hospital hygiene was essential and Fred has a bath before every visit.

“He’s had more vaccinations than most humans and our infection control team are perfectly happy to have him in the hospital,” she said.

“A lot of people miss their animals when they come into hospital and it's great to have something other than your own health to talk about.”

Source: The Daily Echo