For any pooch who dreams of a career in pet therapy, the road to success is not easy. It requires talent, a little bit of good luck, and an elusive quality you might call doggedness.
You have to be gentle, friendly, compassionate – and you have to be forever patient with caregivers, support staff and patients on every unit who, without fail, will fawn over you and pat you on the head as if it’s going out of style. Tail wagging is also a prerequisite.
One hard-working canine who checks all the boxes is Gertie, a 7-year-old mixed breed from Qatar who came to the country through an adoption organization and, recently, has been padding the hallways of L+M, providing her unique form of wellness therapy.
In fact, Gertie, it could be argued, was exhibiting most of the Yale New Haven Health Standards of Professional Behavior one recent evening as she rounded on units with her owner, Casey Malcolm of Stonington, and Shannon Christian, RN, chief nursing officer for L+M and Westerly hospitals.
As second-shift nurses and other employees took time out of their duties to give Gertie some love, Malcolm made sure Gertie had a steady supply of treats, which of course Gertie always interprets as kudos for a job well done. Linda Hickey, RN, nurse manager on Unit 5.4, also pushed along the hospital’s Wellness on Wheels cart, making sure employees got some treats, too.
“Rounding with pet therapy and our wellness cart is a small way to demonstrate the importance of wellness while also thanking our teams for all they do for our patients every day,” said Christian. “Gertie's presence is a way to help our staff relax for a moment, and, for me, it's a chance to get out and see our teams, to say hi, share a laugh or two, and thank them for all their hard work.”
