December 6, 2007

Hospitals can be scary places, especially for kids. But I found out about a wonderful program at The Children's Hospital here in Denver. It's called the Prescription Pet Program and uses DOGS as medicine! I ask you, what could be better?

I went to The Children's Hospital where I met a Golden Retriever named Tiger, and his human named Adam. They have been involved in the program for five years. They had to be specially trained and pass a "vigorous screening process" by a veterinarian with the Denver Area Veterinary Medical Society to get approved, which sounds kind of hard. But I met Sara Mark, the vet who evaluated Tiger at the new hospital, and she was really nice. Tiger said Adam was more nervous about the evaluation than he was!

Tiger and Adam go to the hospital twice a month. Tiger visits kids in the lobby, their rooms, and some of the other areas of the hospital. Adam says they stay as long as needed to make the child feel better. I can tell that just petting Tiger would make most kids feel better. Tiger says he tries to send as much love as he can, and he can tell the kids love him right back. Sometimes it's the patients' families that need the love, and Tiger helps with that too.

Tiger says the staff at the hospital is super nice, and tell him they enjoy his visits, too! I was a little jealous because I can tell that Tiger gets a lot of hugs and attention. Marianne told me to get over myself -- it's not always all about me. Huh.

The program is so popular that there's a waiting list of people who want to volunteer with their dogs, but there are lots of other volunteer opportunities at The Children's Hospital. Go to this link for more information: www.thechildrenshospital.org/give/volunteer/pet.aspx.

Give your dog a hug today -- it's just good medicine!

Chow for now!

Parker

Questions or comments for Parker? Send them to Call7ForHelp@TheDenverChannel.com.

Would you like more information about Canine Companions for Independence, or perhaps be a puppy raiser? Call 1-800-572-BARK or go to www.cci.org for details.