LIMA, OH (WLIO) - It was an unexpected visit for some patients at Mercy Health St. Rita's, with a team of four-legged friends delivering medicine in the form of smiles.
The Welcome Waggers program has been a part of Mercy Health St. Rita's since 2016, which brings dogs to the patient's rooms.
"We find that it is very comfortable and relaxing for those patients," said Mark Miller, St. Rita's Director of Volunteer Auxiliary Resources.
And some of these patients may be missing their own pets that are home away from them, giving them a chance to reconnect with man's best friend.
"When the pets come through the door, you see a big smile on the patient's face," said Miller. "They start to relax, you can see them relaxing, and they are very entertained with the dogs and interact with them."
These dogs have been trained to provide a therapeutic relief to these patients, and the volunteers behind the program hope that their work as well as the dogs' presence helps patients forget about the stress of being in a hospital.
"Couple minutes just to forget what's going on, people in the waiting rooms have loved ones in, having surgery and that stuff, just gets their mind off of it for a couple of minutes and gives them a stress relief," said David Hefner, Pet Partners Evaluator.
And one pup, named Samson is making his 400th appearance as a therapeutic dog. The volunteers say that everyone has the same reaction when they see the two-hundred-nine-pound puppy.
"Oh, he's big. Never heard that before!" said Hefner. "You know, they don't know who I am, but they know who Sam is, and that's okay."
