 Scout, a 12-year-old shepherd mix, brightens a young patient’s day. Photo: Reed Hutchinson |
Doggie ambassadors surprised and delighted pediatric patients at Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA by delivering handmade Valentine’s Day cards on February 13, 2014. Hosted by UCLA’s Chase Child Life Program, three teams from the UCLA People-Animal Connection (PAC), one of the most-comprehensive animal-assisted therapy and activity programs in the nation, helped the children celebrate by donning Valentine’s Day costumes and visiting them in their hospital rooms and in the pediatric playroom. The dogs and their owners included Scout and his owner, hospital volunteer Beth Goldfarb; Daisy and Paco with their owner, hospital volunteer Jane Tomlinson; and Finn, a 7-year-old great Pyrenees-Labrador mix, with owner Erin Rice, director of the PAC Program. Each handmade Valentine card was created with love and compassion and generously donated by members of Dollies Making A Difference, a group of women who create one-of-a-kind dolls and Teddy bears to send to children all over the world. The organization also donates dolls, as well as other gifts, to hospitalized patients during the holidays.
