http://www.uchealthpettherapy.com/

UC Health Pet Therapy, 234 Goodman Street, Cincinnati, OH (2026)

07/04/2019

Getting ready for the Montgomery 4th of July Parade. Happy 4th from all of the therapy dogs at UCMC.

03/25/2019

MEET THE THERAPY DOGS!
Show some love for Oliver Tini Martin who just had his 11th Birthday on March 23rd!

Here is some info from his handler:

Oliver Tini Martin is a West Highland White Terrier (aka Westie). The best way to describe this wee white Terrier dog breed from Scotland is simply to say that he’s so full of self-esteem that he knows he’s the best thing around. Always on the lookout for a good time, he’ll make you laugh while he entertains himself. He’s friendly and happy, with a lively nature that endears him to everyone (except small rodents), especially when he c***s his head to the side and looks at you quizzically.

Oliver definitely embodies the Westie characteristics! He is very well mannered (most of the time), loves to play and has lots of friends as part of the UCMC Therapy Dog program. And if you ask him if he 'wants to go for a ride' he will c**k his head to the side.

He has been through many levels of obedience training and done agility as well. Although he doesn’t fly through the course (he usually walks it) he knows all of the obstacles and is hilarious to watch when he does agility.

Oliver came to live with me at 8 weeks old. He was the absolute cutest puppy and has been super sweet since the day I met him. He has lots of confidence and is a great role model to his little brother Luke. He loves to ride in the car, sleep under the covers and bark at any animal that is on the television.

Oliver typically visits the SICU, CVICU and MICU with me, as well as helps to test new dogs who want to be part of the therapy dog program.

Oliver is the light in my life and my ‘steady’ guy, and I love to share him with everyone at UCMC!

03/18/2019

MEET THE THERAPY DOGS! 🐶
With our newest team, FC Cincinnati, getting a great win; it's time to meet another member of a winning team: Team Therapy Dog! Here's our Big Guy, Kumler aka “Mr. K”.

Kumler is 4.5 years old, and 190lbs. He's a Great Dane, who has been a Therapy Dog for 3.5 years. Here is a bit of information from his handler:

Because of Kumler’s height, he’s perfect for bed bound critically ill patients. The CVICU is our “home unit” but we also frequent the SICU and MICU at UCMC.

Kumler loves all living things, people and animals alike. He was born to please. Sometimes people are scared of Mr. K due to his size, and that makes him very sad.

On his free time, Kumler LOVES the beach, going swimming in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico and riding in golf carts.

Kumler is happy to go anywhere, no matter how far.

Kumler loves seeing patients, but also adores visiting the staff. It’s not uncommon to find him in a crowd of scrubs, surrounded by physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, respiratory therapists and pharmacists. He loves all our UCMC staff.

Lets give Kumler some love, folks!

03/12/2019

My sweet Luke! Happy 6th Birthday. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

03/11/2019

MEET THE THERAPY DOGS!
We now interrupt your Monday morning with the BEST news! It's Luke's birthday! Everyone show him some love on his special day, and read all about this sweet-face little boy! 🎂🐶

Luke is a 6 year old (his birthday is March 11th) West Highland White Terrier (‘Westie’) who weighs 20 lbs and has been a therapy dog since 2016.

Here is some information on Luke from his handler:
Luke is the sweetest dog! He just wants to be loved and he’ll give it right back to you! He’s goofy and silly and will lick your face off it you let him. He loves his visits at UCMC and making sure everyone he sees has a smile on their face!

I adopted Luke when he was 18 months old. His breeder, who loved him very much, knew he needed more attention than she could give to him. So, that’s how he came to live with me and his brother Oliver – who is actually Luke’s Uncle!

Luke visits the SICU, CVICU and MICU with me. But he also does all of the new hire orientations with his Grammy.

Luke loves to torment his brother Oliver. It starts with a stare and then a chase. Luke usually starts it, but his brother Oliver will definitely finish it! He loves to go on long walks with his Grampy. He really has no idea what personal space is, but that’s ok because he is the best at cuddling! He also likes to talk. All you have to do is say ‘Are you Hangry’ and he’ll let you know he is ready for some food. He loves food and treats!

Luke brings so much joy to my life and I’m so happy to share him with everyone at UCMC. 🎂

03/04/2019

MEET THE THERAPY DOGS 🐶
Y'all know what Monday morning brings! Yes, another sweet Therapy Fluff! Today we feature:
HAZEL LOUISE:

She is 11 years old (will be 12 years in Aug. 2019)
20 lbs and female
Black & Tan Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
She has been a therapy dog for about 6 years
We mainly do new hire orientations every other Wednesday but also do lobbies and waiting rooms in the Same Day Surgery area.

A bit on Hazel from her handler:
I adopted Hazel from friends who are show breeders when she was 2 years old. Hazel was born in England and brought to the USA with her brother to be a show dog. However, it was discovered she had a small heart murmur at the time and so they decided to retire her early and
rehome her with me!

Hazel is a sweet, calm, quiet girl and in fact like to say if you looked up "perfect dog" in the dictionary Hazel's name would be there! At first, I thought she was too shy to be a therapy dog. But I soon decided that she was just reserved and not shy. Sometimes being reserved can be a good thing when visiting the elderly, the ailing or even some kids. So, Hazel passed her test with flying colors!

Hazel is currently the only female dog in our household and we call her "The Queen". As I said, she is quiet except when she's letting her "brothers" know when it's time to go outside and bark at "nothing", LOL! Hazel has never "played"....she's too regal for that! BUT, she does liked to be petted and doesn't mind sitting on someone's lap or a hospital bed. She is getting older now
but she still rises to the occasion when we visit the hospital or other venues!!

02/25/2019

MEET THE THERAPY DOGS! 🐶
Everyone's favorite post is back again, showcasing the lovely Daisy! Here is a bit of background on this golden fluffer from her handler:

Daisy is a 3-year old Golden retriever, who has been doing Theapy Dog visits for 9 months.
She visits UCMC 7th floor - Medical ICU; Step-Down, 7 NW

Daisy loves, loves, love tennis balls!!!! In her spare time (LOL), she also loves to swim and dock dive.

Daisy is a highly-skilled girl - she can sit, down, roll over, shake, high-five, wave, bang (roll onto side)

Daisy is completely laid back in every situation at the hospital, including in the ICU – new smells, sights, and sounds just don’t faze her. In fact, she spend much of her time in the ICU on her back getting belly rubs from the nurses and docs! (One of the pictures is her on her back in the Medical ICU waiting patiently for someone to give her a belly rub.)

Show sweet Daisy some love, folks!

02/18/2019

MEET THE THERAPY DOGS! 🐶
Today we have Sadie, 9 years old and 105lbs; our lovely Greater Swiss Mountain Dog! She has been a Therapy Dog for 8 years.
Here's more information on Sadie from her handler:

Sadie visits Primary SICU, SDS waiting room, SICU waiting room, Psch. floor. But also have spent time on Ear/Nose/Throat wing, Burn wing, CICU, cardiac step down and serve as "test dog" for other areas

We laugh because she "helps" her boy practice football plays and she is the best defender! Although her boy complains she is bitting his butt and most defenders wouldn't do that and we tell him that is her way of encouraging him to run faster !!

Her favorite things at home are playing with "her" boy, tugging with her new little sister, and she loves squeaky toys especially kong squeaker balls

Our very first day of volunteering, we had just passed the test and she was a year old at the time. The program coordinator asked if we would mind trying SICU to see how she did..........I didn't know any better and knew the sights, smells and sounds wouldn't bother me but was wondering what she would think since I could only desensitize her to so many things we may encounter.

So we go into several rooms and she does great, moves up alongside bed rests her head there with tail wagging while she stares at the patients. I was so proud of her and she did so well on her unexpected "first day" of visiting patients!

Show Sadie some love and likes, folks!

02/15/2019

UC HEALTH VALENTINE'S DAY PET PARADE!
It was a blast this year, with so many lovable fluffs in attendance, making staff, patients and visitors happy. Everyone was shining in their Valentine's gear; check out these fluffs and show them some love!

02/11/2019

MEET THE THERAPY DOGS! 🐶
Today we have Scout Thomas, the adorable Shih-Tzu boy. Here's some information on our lil' cutie:

SCOUT THOMAS:
2.5 years old (will turn 3 years in April)
16 lbs.
Shih-Tzu with gray/silver and white markings

He's been a therapy dog since January of 2017 - so a year now.
Scout mainly does new hire orientations every other Wednesday, but we also do lobbies and waiting rooms, especially the Same Day Surgery area.

Scout was rescued by a foster adoption organization in Sept. 2017 from a high kill shelter in West Virginia. He lived with his foster mom until Nov. 2017 when I adopted him. I knew he'd become a therapy dog soon after he came to live with us as he was well-mannered and good
with everyone. Scout comes across as reserved and even at home - sometimes he'll hang back a little from the other dogs in his family.

Scout is really a sweet boy that will give little kisses! He loves to greet me with a toy in his mouth. He loves Kongs and chew bones.

He likes to be held and snuggled. Scout has a "serious" face and eyes that have almost human-like expression. Scout gets very excited when he sees me get his therapy dog harness out! He knows he's going with me to visit the hospital!

02/04/2019

MEET THE THERAPY DOGS! 🐶
Todays wonderful fluff is Barnum! Here is his handler's story about this lovable Big Guy:
Barnum is a Fawn(white) Bouvier Des Flandres. Generally Bouvs are black or brindle and I believe the Fawn variety are less than 5% of the population.

Bouvs. are farm working dogs who herd cattle and pull carts. In flemish a “Bouvier” is a cattle driver. They are generally very protective of their owners and property.
Barnum is totally out of character! He is the 4th Bouv. that I have owned and none of the others could have qualified for therapy work. My late wife and I took to this breed because we were wildlife rehabbers specializing in waterfowl and our vet felt that this is the only breed that would not harass the recovering ducks, geese and swans on our property in New York

I acquired Barnum from a family in DC who had christened him “Sparky” which he is not! I got him as a companion for Bailey, my 3rd Bouv and it seemed obvious that with Barnum as his name I could live in a circus. He weighs 105lbs and will be 7 in March.

We started with the UC program last April and we are in the hospital on Wednesdays, when we are at the Barrett Center and Sundays when we do the 7th floor. I find that about 40% of our time is spent with patients, 40% with medical staff(he is mobbed in the MICU) and 20% with visitors in the waiting rooms.

I tend to think that our therapy work is more “the gentle art of distraction”. It is a very rare individual who doesn’t break into a smile when Barnum appears and they clearly forget why they are in the hospital. And I spend my time trying to pronounce “Bouvier” in a French accent!

01/28/2019

MEET THE THERAPY DOGS!
Here's a bit about today's beautiful Big Guy, Otis, from his handler:
Otis is about 15 months old, neutered male, although we don’t know his exact age. He was left at a shelter in Kentucky. He came to our house as a foster dog, but we knew we wanted to keep him immediately and adopted him after the first weekend. He is the easiest dog I have ever trained, very happy to please, and loves to play with his toys. He is a good listener and very gentle. He’s still a bit of a toddler, but very social and loves to visit everyone. He obviously is part Great Dane, but we believe he is likely a mix (Doberman? Labrador?). Otis’ arch enemies are all of the squirrels that sneak into his yard. He can jump about 12 feet in the air when he sees one in the trees.

We are not sure if Otis is done growing yet, but right now he is about 100 pounds. He eats 2 cups of dog food 3 times a day, and all the treats he can convince his humans to give him. I believe he also gets a lot of pizza crusts when I am not watching.

Otis passed his TDI (Therapy Dog Certification) test in September and got his credentials at the end of November, so he is just getting started as a therapy dog. He loves the radiology department, and especially loves to visit ultrasound, as the humans who work there fill a bedpan with nice cool water for him to drink. He gets very thirsty while visiting. He always checks out the Radiology IR pre-op area, as there are always lots of people who need a little de-stress. He also visits the SICU, MICU, and CVICU. There are lots of humans there who pose with him for selfies. He’s always happy to pose, especially with the ladies.

Otis loves every toy, but his favorite is Lamb Chop. Santa brought him a giant Lamb Chop for Christmas, and he spends a lot of time guarding it so the his dog siblings can’t get it. He lives with Sigbjorn, a very hairy 12 year old mixed breed dog, who likes to run in the yard with him, and Gracie Lou, a 2 year old border collie mix who was rescued from a hoarding situation, and needs a big brother to help her feel more confident about the sometimes scary humans around her. Otis is exactly what she needs. Besides playing with Lamb Chop, Otis likes to make sure his humans don’t spend too much time on their computers when they could be playing with him. When he thinks you have been typing too much, he grabs his heaviest chew toy, sticks his head over your laptop screen, and drops his toy on your keyboard. This works very well for him.

Otis knows all basic commands and normally is very obedient (squirrels completely break his concentration). He sometimes gets so eager to visit here that he starts towing me down the hall faster than I can walk, and we have to negotiate. His claim to fame is that he is so tall that he can easily stick his head up on even the tallest ICU beds and rest for a few minutes while he gets his head rubbed. This almost always makes people feel better. He also likes to come to the Varsity Village MR scanner. He takes off his collar and vest so he can go right into the MR scanner and help people relax while they get ready for their test. And his favorite, if you scratch his back, he will park his hips right on your lap as a reward. The Great Dane sit.

UC Health Pet Therapy

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