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HOME/Hospital Operations/Welcome Chevy, our Newest Facility Dog!

Welcome Chevy, our Newest Facility Dog!

Welcome Chevy, our Newest Facility Dog!
March 23, 2017
Blog Editorial Team
4 Comments

He has only been an employee for a few months, but he has quickly become one of the most popular with patients. Chevy is a 2 year-old Golden Retriever and Black Lab mix who is a new facility dog on our Child Life and Integrative Care team. He and his primary handler, Katie Sullivan, started in October.

Katie and Chevy have been an inseparable team since July 2016 when they were matched through Canine Assistants, the non-profit organization that has trained all of our facility dogs. Katie and Chevy were a part of the facility dog pilot program at Children’s Hospital of Greenville Health System in Greenville, SC before transitioning to Ohio.

Facility dog Chevy lies in bed with a patient.

Chevy lives with Katie and her family and does typical dog things when he’s off-duty at home. But when he puts on his working vest and heads for the
car, he knows it’s time for work.

Before he sees patients for the day, he greets everyone in the Child Life and Integrative Care office with a big smile and a wagging tail. He also takes his lunch break each day on the playground at Burnet Campus where he and fellow facility dog Leica love to fetch tennis balls and romp with each other.

Life as a facility dog

Chevy works primarily with inpatients, but he also regularly visits with patients throughout the medical center. As he and Katie make their way through the hospital each day, Chevy gets lots of adoring looks and excited whispers. Chevy is known for his signature move of stopping, picking an individual and dropping to the floor to roll on his back for a quick belly rub. And anyone who has experienced it knows that he’s not shy about asking for that attention.

Facility dog Chevy with a patient.

But when Chevy is with a patient, it’s no longer about attention for him, his job is to be a calming presence for that child. He is also a great physical therapy tool because taking him for a walk is often just the motivation a patient needs to get out of bed for therapy.

Katie and Chevy join another dog handler pairing of Kerri Birkett and Leica (pronounced “Like-Ah”) in our Animal Assisted Therapy Program. Leica joined the Cincinnati Children’s Child Life staff in February 2016, along with Drummer – both Golden Retrievers, like Chevy. Drummer and handler Ashley Rivet have since moved, and now call Columbus their new home.

Keep an eye out for Chevy and Leica in their green vests as they walk around the hospital, and don’t be afraid to ask their handlers to say hi! But please be courteous of their time and be sure to use hand sanitizer both before and after petting the dogs in an attempt to prevent the spread of germs around the medical center.

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TAGS:
  • child life
  • facility dog

About the author: Blog Editorial Team

Our editorial team works with experts, patients and families at Cincinnati Children’s to bring you important information that we hope helps you navigate the complex world of parenting.

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Comments

Lin March 27, 2017 at 10:41 am

I think this is one of the greatest programs at Children’s Hospital….the dogs and the handlers should get medals of honor for their work!

Tricia March 30, 2017 at 9:35 am

Welcome, Chevy!!! You and your dog colleagues are a joy for all of us, patients, families and employees.

Devesh March 30, 2017 at 12:11 pm

Very nice article. What a wonderful way for Chewy to fill the day of a child in the hospital with cheer, joy, inspiration, caring and love. There is a reason for why dogs have been man’s best friend for the last several hundred generations! God bless Chewy for the wonderful noble work he does and may his work benefit lots of children as they recover, heal and overcome all the hurdles their illness may pose.

Pam April 3, 2017 at 10:37 am

I want to express how awesome this program is. My daughter was a patient at Children’s during the month of March and when Chevy came to visit, he put the biggest smile on her face. She just had major surgery and her spirits were down. My family appreciated this!! It uplifted her spirits. Thank you Chevy 🙂

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