Before entering any of the patient’s
rooms, permission is obtained after a slight knock on the door by one of the hospital volunteers escorting the dog/handler team. Most of the parents were happy to see Summer, relieved at the break that always brought a smile to their faces. Understandably, a few families weren’t up for the visit, while several emphatically requested Summer’s pres- ence. It can be heartbreaking, knowing these kids are very ill, and what their par- ents must be going through. Karen and Summer’s spirits never seemed to wane. Roam, an 18-month-old little boy,
has been in the hospital most of his life. Mom, Melissa, smiled when she saw Summer. “We have two dogs at home, Sassy and Zeus. They’re a little smaller than Summer,
though. They’re
Chihuahuas,” she said laughing, while tending to Roam. Next, we visited seven-year-old
Andy, whose little sister, Citlaly, was visit- ing with him. Karen comfortably engaged in conversation with the children, and explained what Summer was doing at the hospital. They both touched Summer as she moved in closer to Andy’s side. As we walked from room to room,
guests and staff all stopped to pet Summer. Some stood back and smiled, admiring the working dog team. Nine-month-old Raniah was cooing
in her mom Branika’s arms when we walked in the room. They both loved meeting Summer, and the dog reciprocat- ed with her own special brand of love. Therapy dogs are not supposed to lick, paw or jump up on people. They are under strict voice and leash control. Summer seemed to be particularly enchanted with Raniah, and kept gently nudging the baby’s hands, legs and belly with her big nose. Maybe she sensed Raniah needed a little something extra. Under Karen’s watchful eye, though, she needed to be reminded of her bound- aries. In a quiet, kind voice, Karen spoke to Summer with a command. Boy oh boy, was Summer embarrassed. She slid to the floor in one fell swoop, and would not lift her head to look at Karen, until she was given the signal. All was forgotten, and from that point on, Summer was on her best behavior. “My daughters taught Summer how
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to give paw, a high-five. I had to re-train her not to,” said Karen, smiling as we headed down the hall. When we walked into 16-year-old
Kiona’s room, her eyes lit up. As she was petting Summer, she told Karen that she is usually afraid of dogs. “Really?” Karen said, “And you
weren’t afraid of Summer. How come?” “Jesus told me not to be afraid,”
answered Kiona, still petting Summer. It was time for a break, so we head-
ed down to the cafeteria. One of the jobs of the handler is to make sure the dog does not burn out during the therapy ses- sions. Dogs obviously aren’t going to ver- bally let us know when they’re tired or anxious, but a handler who knows her dog will notice the signs. Summer was looking forward to her treat and a little break. A crowd had gathered in the lobby just outside the cafeteria, around a couple of baseball players from the Tampa Bay Rays and their mascot, Raymond, who were visiting. When pitcher Brandon Gomes looked up from giving an auto- graph and saw Summer, he stepped away from the news crews and cameras hover- ing around him to meet her. All cameras turned towards the athlete, who was on the floor earnestly petting a dog. Even Raymond couldn’t avert the media atten- tion away from the duo (and, he tried, shamelessly pulling out all his stunts). It’s as if Summer parted the seas, bringing a sudden sense of serenity to the lobby. Gomes spoke quietly with Karen about why Summer was at the hospital. He seemed particularly touched that such a big dog had the ability to walk the halls of a pediatric hospital. Summer’s abilities were never lost on
Karen. She always knew, given the oppor- tunity, that Summer would be a wonder- ful therapy dog, especially with children.
ODEE, A GENTLE GIANT PRESENCE. A new study, recently published in the medical journal Pediatrics, suggests that preschool-aged children who are extremely selective about what they eat, and dislike even being near certain foods, are more likely than others to have underlying anxiety or depression. Only three percent of young children studied were that picky. Less severe pickiness, or “moderate selected eating” was found in
Odee and Dawson at St. Joseph’s.
about 18 percent of the kids studied. Children with either level of pickiness were almost two times more likely than others to develop anxiety symptoms within two years, the study found. Severe selective eating described in
the study is akin to a condition called avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. It can occur in all ages. Some children affected are extra-sensitive to food tastes, smells and textures. Seven-year-old Dawson has a senso-
ry processing disorder. His acute sense of smell is so intense he is adverse to many foods. Eating, to Dawson, makes him anx- ious. That may be difficult for many of us who relate food with comfort, fun, fami- ly and friends. “The holidays are particularly stress-
ful,” said Tammy, Dawson’s mom. She has been bringing Dawson to St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital for about five weeks for feeding therapy. Odee, a two-year-old Great Pyrenees therapy dog, works with Dawson. His handler, Jodi Coccoli, tells Dawson, “Odee is a picky eater.” Part of the therapy involves touch-
ing, smelling, tasting and discussing vari- ous foods that Tammy has brought from home in ziploc bags. The first food item was a fresh blueberry. Therapist Coleen Ritari, took a berry into her hand, gave one to Jodi to give to Odee and handed one to Dawson.
Summer/Fall ~ 2015 THE NEW BARKER 57
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