THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, March 26, 1996 TAG: 9603260033
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DIANE TENNANT, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines
THE DIAGNOSIS was easy: every patient at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters had a bad case of puppy love.
And for the children there with real diseases like cancer and sickle cell anemia, there was finally a treatment they didn't dread. A dose of Abby goes down real easy.
``It's so nice to hear that one's voice,'' said a therapist, watching a bedfast child talk to the golden retriever and present it with a pink rose. ``Could we keep Abby over here?''
Quinton Thomas, 2, grabbed collie mix Sandy Man and planted a kiss on the dog's lips.
Abby, Sandy Man and several other well-trained dogs dispense care through the hospital's pet therapy program, visiting sick children in playrooms and strolling bed-to-bed in critical care areas about twice a month.
CHKD has used pet therapy for four years to motivate and encourage sick children, many of whom have pets at home and miss them.
Others are scared and depressed, and the dogs comfort them. Still others will agree to take a dreaded treatment if they can play with a dog afterward.
``The immediate benefit is that it totally changes the environment of a hospital,'' said child life therapist Traci Boone. ``This can be an overwhelming and sometimes a threatening environment.
``To bring dogs in that want to lay in your lap and want to give you a kiss are totally unexpected to kids.''
The dogs are all trained by Canine Connection Training Center, a national dog obedience school with headquarters in Churchland. Owner Jeff Burgess selects the pet therapy dogs carefully, taking only those which are calm, non-threatening and extremely tolerant of aggressive love. Abby is the only dog whose behavior he considers appropriate for critical-care units.
Burgess is on 24-hour call if the hospital needs a comfort dog in a hurry. At Christmastime, Abby brings every hospitalized child a present.
``People ask me all the time, `Jeff, how many kids do you have?' '' Burgess said. ``Well, I've got two by blood and over a hundred in the hospital.''
One of them is 4-year-old Shaneisha ``Dutchess'' Currie, who has lived for the past several years hooked to a ventilator in the transitional care unit. Maggie, a beagle, snuggled into her bed.
Pet therapy started on this unit, where children live for months or years on life support. Now the program has expanded to where dogs visit all the patients who are able and willing to see them, in lounges, playrooms, hallways or individual rooms.
``This has a dramatic effect on preventing depression and withdrawal,'' Boone said. ``It gives them something to look forward to.''
Two-year-old Princess Majette, alerted that the animals were in the hospital, chanted, ``Where is Ab-by? Where is Ab-by?'' until Abby appeared and licked her face. Princess, a frequent patient, has developed a rapport with Abby. On the last visit, she painted the dog's toenails red.
Abby always wears a paw-printed bandana around her neck on pet therapy patrol, and has given them as parting gifts to dying children who won't live to see her next visit.
``The deathbed visits are always traumatic but it's so important to the family,'' Burgess said.
Although Abby is so obedient that she holds her own leash, Burgess constantly croons encouragement.
``You have to constantly motivate them,'' he explained. ``They're trying so hard. She (Abby) puts every bit of her heart and soul into it.''
In the intensive-care playroom, Abby sat in front of 13-year-old Kristen Hart's wheelchair.
``Say `Kristen,' '' Burgess commanded.
``Woof.''
``Now you've gotta say `Princess.' ''
``Woof, woof.''
``Do you love 'em?''
``Woof, woof, woof.''
Eight-year-old Andy Copley said nothing when Allyson and Sandy Man came into the playroom, but he tried to walk to them on unsteady legs. Someone found him a chair and he sat silently, but his hands never stopped petting a dog, any dog, whichever dog came near.
``I bet you miss your own dog, huh?'' asked a therapist, and Andy nodded. He had not seen his own two dogs for three weeks.
An exhausted Abby, Burgess predicted, would take a four-hour nap as soon as she got home. He gave her a hug. ``You ask so much of the dog,'' he said. ``To speak for the kid, to give them a paw. To love.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Martin Smith-Rodden
Maggie, a beagle owned by Tracey Funtanilla, right, visits Shaneisha
"Dutchess" Currie, 4, a patient at CHKD.
KEYWORDS: PET THERAPY by CNB