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Patients at St Anne's Children's Hospital have some new visitors with four legs. Since January, six specially trained dogs have been visiting the hospital's wards twice a week as part of a programme to help young patients feel calmer and happier during their stay.
The dogs and their owners are all volunteers from a local charity. Before joining the programme, each dog had to pass a series of tests to show that it was calm, gentle and not easily frightened by noise or by medical equipment. The dogs are bathed before every visit, and staff check that no patient on the ward is allergic to animals.
During a visit, children can stroke the dogs, brush them or simply sit with them. The visits last about an hour, and each dog sees around ten patients. Nurses say that some children who have refused to get out of bed for days are suddenly keen to walk to the playroom when they hear that a dog is coming.
The hospital has also noticed other benefits. Several parents have said that the visits are the only time their child smiles during long and difficult treatments. Some staff members say that the dogs help them relax too, after stressful shifts.
The most popular dog is Biscuit, a nine-year-old golden retriever who wears a yellow scarf on every visit. His owner, retired teacher Brian Lowe, says Biscuit seems to know which children need him most. "He always goes straight to the quietest child in the room and lies down next to the bed," he said.
The charity hopes to train another ten dogs this year so that the visits can be extended to the adult wards of the hospital.