Cody is a six year old Golden Retriever who lives a normal life like any other dog, mostly! Once a week, he puts on his Irish Therapy Dog uniform and trots through the door of the ICU in Portiuncula University Hospital (PUH ), where his calming and comforting influence is felt in abundance.
Charlotte Carter, Clinical Nurse Manager, ICU explained, “a patient in ICU faces a potentially scary and dread-filled environment. The isolation and loneliness of not being able to interact with their own natural support system, family and friends can have a huge impact on their physical and psychological status. We initiated pet therapy as a non-pharmacological intervention for the mind and body and to create a more humanised environment for ICU patients and their families along with health care professionals.
“Cody made his first visit to the ICU recently to meet patients and staff. He received a warm welcome and of course lapped up all the attention. He is such a welcome visitor, bringing with him so much warmth. This interaction is a powerful thing to witness. You can stand back and simply watch as the positive energy fills the room.
“He will continue to visit the ICU for one hour every Thursday. Already he has brought a sense of healing along with all that unconditional love. Improving the patients’ experience and decreasing their suffering is what we desire for our unit.”
Cody’s owner and handler Gary Mullin commented, “we found Cody when he was about five weeks old abandoned on the side of the road. From that moment he has continued to bring so much joy into my life and into the life of others. He has such a unique way with people, they just gravitate towards him. I felt there was an opportunity to share the impact that Cody has on me with more people through becoming a volunteer of the Irish Therapy Dogs who have been having a fantastic impact throughout Ireland for many years. We applied and were delighted to make it through the application process. We then became registered volunteers with Irish Therapy Dogs. Portiuncula University Hospital wanted to take part in the programme and so reached out to the Irish Therapy Dogs. Myself and Cody are so lucky to be the chosen visiting team for Portiuncula University Hospital.”
