Therapy Dog Spends Day Spreading Holiday Cheer At Penn Medicine
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Spreading holiday cheer at a Philadelphia hospital: Penn Medicine has some special events to spread holiday cheer to patients and their families. That includes a visit from a furry friend.
Talk about an entrance as Tugger the therapy dog is making his holiday rounds at Penn Medicine, dressed up as a snow man.
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"He's starting to get a little grey so the snow and white in his beard was perfect," says Julie Jablonski, a critical care nurse. She helped create HUP's Pups and says the dog visits are beneficial to patients in a number of ways.
"It's fun, stress relieving also animals are non-judgmental, create socialization. And they create laughter, decrease heart rates and blood pressure," Jablonski explains.
Tugger who's nine, is a big celebrity with patients and the staff. He's quite a character, with a taste for banana's.
One of the patients visited by Tugger was Sandra Donlon, who's been hospitalized for months. "It was so cute seeing the dog with a hat on and everything," Sandra says. She lives in Bucks County and says visiting with the dog is a nice distraction from being hospitalized over the holidays and a reminder of her beloved pet, Shadow.
"I got a little emotional," Sandra says.
Tugger's holiday visit was even popular on Facebook with dozens of comments. Natalie wrote: "Therapy dogs are magical!"
Not to be outdone by Tugger as Frosty, the Penn staff also has a tree decorating competition. Jablonski says the theme of her unit's tree is "You say the sweetest things." That's what patients and families say in surveys about the staff in surgical intensive care - the sweetest things - like thank you for saving our father's life.
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The tree was one of the winners in the decorating contest. The people at Penn Medicine say it's all about making the holidays a little brighter for the patients who can't be home with their families
