Pets
have become a major part of family life. Now, a pregnant woman was
allowed to take her dog to the hospital to help the woman throughout the
birth. The maternity ward at St. Michael’s Hospital, in England,
allowed the woman to take her dog, inside the delivery room, “because it
is a certified therapy dog.”
The presence of the dog was discussed and agreed upon in advance,
with the hospital’s infection control team giving their approval that it
could be in the room during labor as therapy for the woman. A thorough
cleaning of the delivery room was done after the dog, named Barney,
left.
Head of midwifery at St. Michael’s Hospital, Sarah Windfeld, said:
“Barney is a certified Pets as Therapy or PAT dog, and it regularly
visits patients in the hospital.”
Pets as Therapy, is a charity founded in 1983. Volunteers take their own
friendly dogs and cats, who have been tested and vaccinated, to visit
hospitals, hospices, nursing homes, schools and more to provide
therapeutic visits for those in need.
To date, there are about 4,500 active dogs and 108 cats in the Pets
as Therapy program, in the United Kingdom. Each week, these calm
friendly dogs and cats give more than 130,000 people, both young and
old, the pleasure and opportunity to hug and talk to them.
