NORFOLK, Va. — A dog that has brought a lot of joy and comfort to young patients, families and staff at the Children's Hospital of The King's Daughter (CHKD) retired on Wednesday.
"SaraLee has brought comfort and smiles to our patients since 2016 when she joined CHKD after extensive training," said a spokesperson for CHKD.
In celebration of SaraLee's hard work over the years as an inpatient facility dog, CHKD threw the 10-year-old Golden Retriever a retirement party.
"She's been here eight years. She turned ten last month, and we've decided it's time for her to retire," said Shannon Hood, her handler.
The canine was specially trained to support patients and their families mentally, physically and emotionally. According to the CHKD website, therapy animals have helped lower stress and anxiety, along with increasing patient mobility.
"It's fun to talk about her impact, and I never know where to start," said Hood. "The fact that I can walk through the hall and everybody knows who she is. Nobody knows my name, and I'm perfectly fine with that because it shows the impact she's had."
Hood added: "My hope is sometime in the near future we have another inpatient facility dog. Until then, we have a very robust therapy dog program called the Buddy Brigade through volunteer services."