Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/ohio-hospital-hires-therapy-dog/

Dogs are known for bringing people plenty of joy and happiness. They are often employed as therapy dogs or service dogs because of their gentle, loving natures.

The Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center has hired one dog for their role of “Justice Volunteer,” a position meant to greet both patients and staff with an equal amount of love and joy.

The pooch named Shiloh originally went through the Stress Trauma and Resilience (STAR) program before taking on the role with the medical center. Now, he’s a full-fledged employee. He’s even got his own special ID badge and all!

Shiloh was recognized for his role by the hospital’s MD, Shari Dunaway, who posted a picture of him to Twitter and giving him a shout out. In the tweet, Dunaway wrote that Shiloh was hired to “go around saying hi” – something that definitely puts a smile on everyone’s face. Dunaway knows that even though Shiloh isn’t on the official payroll, he still deserves major recognition for all the good work that he’s doing.

My hospital hired an employee whose only job is to go around saying hi to other employees while they work pic.twitter.com/WWXNeEiWne

— Shari Dunaway, MD (@ShariDunawayMD) November 20, 2020

And the love for Shiloh ended up receiving a lot of attention from others online, with one person noting that he should get proper compensation. But Dunaway assured that concerned person that even though he isn’t getting paid, he’s definitely getting “Free treats for life, room & board, meal plan, grooming, and unlimited cuddles and smiles from healthcare workers.” That is really all a dog employee can ask for.

Of course, there were plenty of other people to weigh in on Shiloh’s job, with one person remarking that therapy dogs are wonderful and always provide a much-needed service. And they are quite right. Therapy dogs are often featured in hospitals where they do countless hours of good work lifting people’s spirits. In fact, during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was another therapy dog named Wynn, who was bringing much-needed emotional relief to the frontline workers at a hospital in Denver.

Wynn, who was a service dog in training at Rose Medical Center, is owned by Susan Ryan. Susan had previously shared with CNN that oftentimes healthcare workers are exposed to sights and sounds that emotionally impact them on the daily. While they may not be aware of it, this is happening, and that is why the calming presence of a therapy dog can be such a relief. As Susan described it, “it’s been the brightest part of our day.”

Dogs really are a ray of sunshine when the world is full of dark clouds. What do you think about therapy dogs? Should there be more of them in hospitals? Let us know your thoughts!

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog