One of the newest health care workers at Wolfson Children’s Hospital walked down a hallway in the respiratory unit, entered 5-year-old Nigel Ridgeway Jr.’s room, then, with permission, jumped on Nigel’s bed and rested one furry paw atop the young patient’s hand, as if to say: “I’m here. I’m your friend. You’re safe.”
Meet Jude, Wolfson’s first “facility dog,” a full-time member of the hospital’s Family Support Services care team, although patients have been treated to canine visitors in the past.
Alongside human handler Kara Williams, Jude works 40 hours a week at work, with regular breaks for naps, playtime and outside bathroom visits.
The hospital has long had a volunteer group whose members bring dogs to visit patients, but Jude is different. He’s there day in and day out, and he’s been rigorously trained to comfort patients and families during an often stressful time.
Hospitals can be scary for young patients. That’s where Jude comes in.
“Jude is that friendly face,” Williams said. “When he walks into a room it’s instantly less scary, because you see a furry friend walking into the room.”