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Hospital Hires Comfort Dog As Employee To 'Greet' Patients

Hospital Hires Comfort Dog As Employee To 'Greet' Patients

The pooch - called Shiloh - even has an employee ID card after enrolling under the STAR programme

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

A hospital has hired a dog as a 'Justice Volunteer' to greet patients and staff, bringing them joy and happiness.

Shiloh enrolled under the Stress Trauma and Resilience (STAR) programme and now works at the Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center. Oh, he's got an employee card and everything.

Twitter/@ShariDunawayMD

The pooch received an outpouring of love on Twitter after the hospital's MD, Shari Dunaway, shared pictures of him on social media alongside the caption: "My hospital hired an employee whose only job is to go around saying hi to other employees while they work."

Someone was a little concerned that if Shiloh's a volunteer, he clearly isn't getting paid, adding that the pup deserves a full wage.

Shari quickly cleared things up, writing: "Dogtor Shiloh is very well rewarded and fully compensated for his work. Free treats for life, room & board, meal plan, grooming, and unlimited cuddles and smiles from healthcare workers."

Replying to the adorable post, one person wrote: "If my future workplace doesn't have employees like Shiloh, what's the point?"

Another added: "Know some of the therapy dogs who visit our local hospital. They are very necessary and much more than mere 'service animals' although of course they do provide a very valuable service. Hello Dr Shiloh, lovely pup. Not all doctors are medics, are they?"

A third commented: "Pets as Therapy are brilliant - I introduced the service into a regional Cancer Centre. The comfort, reduction of stress and promotion of communication for patients and staff was wonderful to see."

It also spurred people on to share their own hospital's therapy dogs. There was one in the Philippines:

And some at Stanford Hospital:

Earlier this year, a very special therapy dog was helping people on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic.

Wynn, a service dog in training, is owned by an emergency physician at Rose Medical Center in Denver who decided to bring the one-year-old Labrador into work with her to give healthcare workers a mental break.

Susan Ryan/Facebook

The dog's owner, Susan Ryan, has told CNN: "Seeing stuff and hearing stuff that you can't unsee has an impact on you.

"That's where the dogs come in. When you are in the presence of the dog and petting them you are taking a moment to ground yourself at that present time. It's been the brightest part of our day."

Will our pets ever know how much we love them?

Featured Image Credit: Twitter/@ShariDunawayMD

Topics: Community, Animals