Abington Hospital Puts New Spin On Pet Therapy
by Stephanie Stahl
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A new spin on pet therapy. Puppies are now helping staff at a Montgomery County hospital.
For most people puppies are adorable and irresistible, so in the middle of a hectic day, getting to visit with young dogs can be a nice treat.
At Abington Memorial Hospital, there's an extra benefit for the puppies that have been rescued: they often find new homes.
Puppy love is spreading in the halls where health care workers are busy saving lives and taking care of patients, they also get an occasional puppy visit.
"It's just relaxing. This makes everybody happy and calm, the rest and relaxation is nice," says nurse Adrianne Murdoch.
Murdoch and her colleagues usually come to visit the puppies in a hospital office where, in between all the petting, they catch up on nap time.
"We work in a very high-stress environment," says Terry Reilly, the Chief Nursing Officer.
She says the puppy visits can be terrific stress busters.
"I think it brings you more energy and joy when you get back to your patients, so it's been really a wonderful thing," Reilly explains.
The puppies come from kill shelters in the south for adoption here, so in addition to helping the employees relax, many also find new homes.
Nurse Rachel Becker adopted Ashe and at work always looks forward to visiting with all the new puppies.
"I think it's great, all of the staff absolutely loves it," Rachel says.
Gust Bages, director of emergency services, runs the puppy program.
"A lot of the staff just fall in love with them and want to adopt them, so really it's twofold. That's great for the staff because it helps to de-stress them, but it's also good for the puppies because they socialize, and by the time they go to their new family they're socializing and not afraid of people," Bages says.
The puppies who come from the Wags Rescue aren't allowed to be with patients because they're not trained, but Abington does have a Pet Therapy Program where dogs do interact with patients.
