Meet Ollie the Therapy Dog that brings joy to the Paediatric Unit at University Hospital Galway

Ollie is an 8 year old Malshi, he is the first four legged team member in the Paediatric Unit at University Hospital Galway (UHG).  Every Thursday after a thorough brushing and grooming Ollie puts on his Irish Therapy Dog uniform and trots through the doors of the Paediatric Unit at UHG, where his calming and comforting influence is instantly felt by patients, staff and visitors. Excitement and smiles fill the corridors!

Tracey Torpey, Clinical Skills Facilitator, Paediatric Unit at UHG said: “Ollie is our first therapy dog, he always receives a warm welcome and of course laps up all the attention, bringing with him so much warmth and joy. This interaction is a powerful thing to witness. You can stand back and simply watch the positive energy filling the room. His little presence has made such a huge difference to the children, cheering them up and assisting in calming children who are anxious about being in hospital, he’s an amazing dog.

Sarah Murphy, Clinical Nurse Manager 3, Paediatric Unit at UHG added: “Dog therapy offers a positive distraction in the unit and helps normalise the setting for children who are away from home under scary and unpleasant circumstances.  Sometimes the best medicine has four legs and a wagging tail. Ollie can be a furry friend and a piece of normalcy in an unfamiliar world for children in hospital.”

Irish Therapy Dogs is a registered voluntary charity whose always looking for suitable volunteers. Approved volunteers and their dogs visit residents of an assigned Care Centre once per week to bring them an abundance of positive therapeutic benefits.

The dogs’ owner and handler Siobhan Falvey, who is a lifelong animal lover, said: “I became interested in the work of Irish Therapy Dogs after hearing about their work and seeing Ollie interacting with other people and witnessing the daily joy and transformative power of the human-animal bond, and the potential for deep emotional connections with both the dogs and the individuals I knew he would be good at that type of work. Ollie started his journey in a nursing home providing love and support to the elderly, now he is happy to be on duty at the Paediatric unit in UHG.

“Irish Therapy Dogs is an amazing organisation, and it was the perfect fit for me, because I’ve always been fascinated by what dogs can achieve through the connections that they are able to make with humans. Families and staff will often stop to show me photos of their pets at home that they are missing. We compare funny stories about our dogs while they have a cuddle with Ollie.”

After a busy and pawsome day Ollie heads home for a well-earned rest and a little treat or two.