RETIREMENT PARTY FOR THERAPY DOG - “…frightened and introverted children come out of their shells for the first time after Hazel greets them or climbs into their bed for pets and hugs…”
As she lounged under the shade of a large tree Wednesday afternoon on the front lawn of the east Sacramento hospital, Hazel greeted admirers who came to bid her goodbye and wish her well.
“It’s a pretty sentimental day,” said Amy Medovoy, Sutter’s Child Life coordinator, as past and current patients and hospital staffers gathered for an ice cream social in Hazel’s honor. “But Hazel has worked a lot of hours and earned her retirement.”
The doe-eyed Labrador retriever, who will turn 11 on Independence Day, was the first canine member of the hospital’s Child Life team and one of the first dogs in the United States working as a full-time staff member at a children’s hospital.
Hazel, a Labrador Retriever, brought much comfort and joy to children during her career. Now it is her time to relax and enjoy her retirement. Click here for the full story.
