Healing hounds: Patients get festive visit from therapy dogs

Patients at Southend Hospital had a special festive treat as they were visited by Buddy and Zeke, a pair of PAT (Pets as Therapy) dogs.

Buddy, a black Labrador, and Zeke, a Tibetan spaniel, came to cheer up patients across several of the wards.

Shirley Newton, a patient at the hospital who was visited by the PAT dogs and volunteers, said:

I was so pleased to see the dogs especially as I have just been given a dog for Christmas, it relieved the tedium of the afternoon. Seeing the two dogs and the volunteers in their bright yellow t-shirts really brought sunshine to the ward. They were so excited and proud of their dogs, it was lovely.

- Shirley Newton

Article and photographs here...

http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/updat...-therapy-dogs/

What a nice thought by the volunteers.

Story submitted by Malka
on 25-12-2014, 03:31 PM

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chlosmum

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Joined: Dec 2010

Posts: 1,036

26-12-2014, 08:02 AM

I loved the photo of the Tibetan Spaniel as it reminded me of my tiny Chloe! Tibbies make wonderful therapy dogs and it's a pity more of them aren't used for this kind of work. I know of one Tibbie girl who's trained as a therapy dog and regularly visits patients in hospital.