JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – You’ve heard of service dogs, therapy dogs, emotional support dogs…now we want to introduce you to Jude, a beautiful golden retriever who is part of a growing new trend happening across the country. He’s a facility dog whose main mission is to bring love and comfort to children during what can be some of the scariest and most stressful times in their young lives.
Jude is a specially trained facility dog, working 40 hours a week alongside owner and child life specialist Kara Williams.
From working on motor skills…to bringing down stress levels …
Kara Williams, BS, CCLS, CTRS, Certified Child Life Specialist at Wolfson Children’s Hospital says, “I feel like sometimes he can sense when kids aren’t feeling well and he can just go lay on the bed and just give them sort of like a deep pressure, comfort hold.”
Jude makes the daily rounds with Kara.
“If we need a patient to get up out of their bed and ambulate, a good motivator for that is Jude,” explains Kara.
For little Bishop, Jude takes his mind off his painful tonsils.
Lelle Hamilton says, “She’s here because she has pneumonia, and she had caught it really bad. And she had to have 3 chest tubes put into her. To have him show up is calming for her. It just brings like a smile on her face and gives her a chance to forget about the bed, to walk around, to play.”
Jude spent the first two years of his life being trained as a service dog, then used those skills inside the hospital.
And now he’s on call for everything from prepping a patient for surgery, calming them when they need an IV, and just to be there when they need a little extra love and support.
Jude is a Canine Companions graduate, expertly trained at their Orlando facility. This incredible organization provides service dogs free of charge to individuals with disabilities, while receiving generous donations to cover the extensive training costs, typically valued at $50,000 per dog. To follow Jude’s heartwarming hospital adventures, check out his Instagram page: @heyjudevii.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Chuck Bennethum, Editor, Matt Goldschmidt, Videographer.
Copyright 2024 KPLC. All rights reserved.
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