MADISON, Wis. — Kids fighting illness in the American Family Children’s Hospital have a new companion to help bring a smile to their faces.
Cola, a 2-year-old male golden doodle, joined the hospital’s child life team on August 1. He’s the second four-legged member of the team, joining 3-year-old golden doodle Kiko.
The dogs are trained to help patients and families cope with complex medical information during their stay at American Family Children’s Hospital.
“We’ve already seen the great benefits of Kiko sitting with a child as they get blood drawn or have a stressful procedure, so we are thrilled Cola is joining the team,” UW Health Kids child life services manager Julie Auenson said in a statement.
Cola will live with one of the hospital’s child life specialists and go to work with her each day, working with the pediatric palliative care team at the hospital, while Kiko is with patients at the Diagnostic and Therapy Center.
Both are part of the Canine Health and Medical Pals (CHAMPs) program, which works with the non-profit Canine Assistants in Georgia to pair facility dogs with hospitals. The program is funded entirely through donations, and each dog has an individual sponsor.
UW Health says the facility dog program Cola and Kiko belong to does not replace its Pet Pals therapy program, which started in 1996 and involves dogs of volunteers. The facility dogs, meanwhile, receive specific trained to work 40 hours per week in the hospital. The Pet Pals program has been on hold during the pandemic due to the hospital’s COVID-19 visitor restrictions.
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