Meet Baskin and Agnes.
The two are therapy dogs and have recently started working full-time at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina. Baskin is a one-year-old Golden Retriever, and Agnes is a two-year-old Golden Doodle.
The two doggos are part of the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation’s Dogs for Joy program, which is dedicated at training and placing more full-time, in-residence service dogs in children’s hospitals. They aim to improve the lives of kids affected by hunger and illness.
Baskin and Agnes were specially-trained in skills that help and comfort hospitalized children. They learned how to calm children during medical procedures, teach kids to take pills, and even model hospital gowns.
It’s their first week on the job at the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital, and they have already provided patients, their families, and hospital staff some comfort, and lower their levels of stress and anxiety especially amid this coronavirus pandemic.
“These special dogs not only bring joy to children battling illness but serve an important role within a child’s treatment team. By joining the children’s hospital team, Baskin and Agnes will provide comfort and joy to hundreds of pediatric patients and their family member,” Kari McHugh, executive director of Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation, said in a statement. “The Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation is always seeking ways to help kids feel like kids, even on their most difficult days. Nothing brings joy more than four paws, a wet nose, and a wagging tail.”
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