Therapy dogs often visit patients at the hospital. However, have you ever wondered who comforts the members of the staff? At a hospital in Columbus, Ohio, called Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, that would be Shiloh.
Like the rest of the hospital staff members, the three-year-old golden retriever wears not only his uniform but also an official name tag. Shiloh is a member of Buckeye Paws, and his job is to support the doctors and nurses at the hospital’s high-trauma areas.
Mary Justice is Shiloh’s mom, who also works as the hospital’s administrator. She and Beth Steinberg, the hospital’s associate chief nursing officer, co-founded the program. The idea started when their young dogs underwent training to be therapy animals.
My hospital hired an employee whose only job is to go around saying hi to other employees while they work pic.twitter.com/WWXNeEiWne
— Shari Dunaway, MD (@ShariDunawayMD) November 20, 2020
According to Mary, while they were in class, she talked to Beth about her experience working with therapy dogs for hospital patients and people in nursing homes. She had taken them to see children in schools too. Mary found it very rewarding. However, she knows that there is also a whole population of hospital workers experiencing a lot of stress.
Since he was born, Shiloh’s mission has been to help others. Mary said that he is excellent at reading people and assessing situations. Shiloh seems to know how to look for those who need him. People often tell Mary that Shiloh knows that they had a bad day.
The Buckeye Paws program was launched back in March. However, it was quickly shuttered because of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. Thankfully, after consultation with the veterinary medicine dean, the dogs were able to get back to the hospital. The staff missed them so much, especially during this trying time.
Shiloh, one of our #BuckeyePaws pups, has become an Instagram sensation! Here's a behind-the-scenes shot of his pawfect pose for his #OSUWexMed ID badge photo. 🐶 ❤️ 😍 pic.twitter.com/2tZIuGyLbR
— The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center 😷 (@OSUWexMed) November 28, 2020
With precautionary measures, the staff can already set an appointment with Shiloh or the other members of the program for some TLC. According to Mary, their units had a sigh of relief since the dogs’ return. They also pay special attention to the staff that deals with COVID-19 patients.
Mary recalled an instance when she and Shiloh interacted with a young lady over the weekend. She ran up to Shiloh and told the pup that she needed him. Then, she started crying while holding on to him.
Shiloh takes his job very seriously. However, after taking off his name tag and special harness, he turns back into being a regular dog who enjoys playing and running around. Mary recognizes that it is such a blessing to have someone like Shiloh. As she said, Shiloh is pretty amazing.
Credit: Shari Dunaway, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center