Pet therapy dogs and their handlers have been valued members of the animal therapy program at HCA Florida Englewood Hospital for 15 years. They visit the hospital three times monthly and have touched countless lives of patients, their loved ones and care teams.
To celebrate International Dog Day recently, hospital colleagues collected seven boxes of food and supplies for the Suncoast Humane Society, which provides the therapy dogs. The canine caregivers enjoyed a party with special toys and gourmet pup-treats and the hospital donated $500 to support the pet therapy team.
“Every time I come here, the patients and their visitors say, ‘You made my day,’ and we watch the stress leave their faces,” said longtime handler Mary Szydlowski, who visits patients with her Labradoodle, Max. “They light up. It’s remarkable.”
On both ends of the leash, the handler and canine must meet the highest standards of practice in animal-assisted interventions. They are registered with Pet Partners, a leading organization in the therapy animal field that registers volunteer teams on five continents.
“We have 28 handlers and dog teams,” said Claire Berten, pet therapy team manager who has been with the Suncoast Humane Society program since the beginning. “Every two years, they are evaluated on obedience, tolerance and enthusiasm for seeing people. It is a bond between the dog and the handler.”
A study by the American Heart Association found that animal-assisted therapy helped heart and lung function by lowering pressures and decreasing anxiety among hospitalized patients after a 12-minute visit with man’s best friend.
“When we first resumed visiting the hospital team members after the COVID-19 pandemic, I was visiting with my golden retriever, Bentley. One nurse dropped to her knees to pet him, and I will never forget that,” Berten said.
Ingrid Simke is a volunteer who visited the hospital on the first day of the program in 2009.
“I was a counselor. My job was to help people feel better,” Simke said. “Having a dog with me now just makes me feel so good. I see the smile on their face.”
Philomena Lyon shared, “I went into a room where a patient was having a panic attack. Piper, a Pomeranian, and a Labradoodle, Willie, visited the patient and put their chin on her lap. The patient petted the dogs, and when the nurse returned, she said those dogs did more than the medication could have.”
“We are grateful for the service provided by the Suncoast Humane Society and proud to support them,” CEO Joe Rudisill said. “They put a smile on the faces of our patients and give our health care team a moment to recharge before returning to patient care.”
For more information about Englewood Hospital’s community benefit programs and services, visit bit.ly/4fYDYsG.
Submitted by Julie Beatty
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