More therapy dogs will soon be walking the halls of BC Children’s Hospital, bringing a bit of normalcy and fun to sick children and their families.
First launched in 2006, seven therapy dogs from St. John Ambulance make regular trips to the hospital – wagging tails and all.
Now, with a $200,000 boost from PetSmart Charities of Canada, the hospital will be doubling the number of dogs who help calm and ease children as they go through sometimes lengthy procedures.
During the announcement of the grant this week, Blayke Vandusen, a regular patient at the hospital got to meet a few of the new four-legged friends.
Vandusen was diagnosed with Tuner Syndrome when she was just a few days old.
One of the first therapy dogs she met at the children’s hospital was named Molly. Vandusen’s mom, Cassandra, said her daughter’s face lit up each time Molly stopped by her room for a visit, “no matter what treatment she had just been through or how tired she was.”
“We truly understood the difference these dogs can have on the healing process… for Blayke most importantly, but for our family, too,” she said.
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