An emergency room doctor in Denver, Colorado named Susan Ryan recently spoke out on how her one-year-old Labrador Retriever, Wynn, has been providing comfort to her and the staff at the hospital she works at during the coronavirus crisis.
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She said due to the outbreak, the doctors and nurses she works with are extremely stressed and anxious and they are usually too busy to be scared of the dangers around them. They hardly get a break these days but when they do, Wynn has been there to help them feel better.
Susan has brought Wynn to the hospital every day since she was a puppy and leaves her within the social workers’ inner office. She says patients never see or touch Wynn, only the staff do, and only after they have washed their hands. On breaks the staff find comfort in petting, hugging and cuddling with Wynn which eases their stress levels during these difficult times.
The reason Susan has Wynn is because she’s training her for Canine Companions, which is an organization that provides free service dogs to children, adults, and veterans with disabilities. Susan says that Wynn’s services as a service dog have never been more needed than now.
“She comes to the ER and stays within our social workers’ inner office, so no one touches her but staff can wash up and have a moment with her. She has saved us because we are very stressed and anxious. Sometimes too busy to be scared.” Susan told The Dogist.