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 And there is no remedy quite like Ollie, a 6-year-old goldendoodle
therapy dog who is helping kids at Rady Children's Hospital-San
Diego overcome the anxiety associated with getting a COVID-19
vaccine.
Ollie and 14 other dogs of the PetSmart Paws for Hope Canine Therapy
Program have been helping kids age 5 to 11 ever since they became
eligible for the vaccine earlier this month.
Across the United States, adults are resisting shots out of mistrust
stemming from how quickly the vaccines rolled out, questions about
possible side effects or in many cases fear driven by spurious
rumors. Kids are just scared it's going to hurt.
The anticipation of a jab at Rady's vaccine clinic had 9-year-old
Avery Smith in tears. Then Ollie came in and sat at her feet. Avery
mother's, Kelli Donahue, took a picture of her with the dog and
Avery's sister Olive, 6.
"It helped me because I never had a COVID vaccine before and I
didn't know what it felt like. But when I saw the dog it helped me
calm down," Avery said.
Before the vaccine, the dogs already had a job bringing joy to
patients admitted to the children's hospital, many of them battling
cancer or other diseases that can sap morale of patients, their
parents and hospital staff.
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 "Sometimes a parent will say,
'He's asleep from his surgery, but can I pet the
dog?'" said Ollie's owner, Kristin Gist, 75, a
canine therapy volunteer and former hospital
programs director. "They can really cuddle with
the dog and feel better, too."
When COVID restrictions hit early last year,
some 20,000 annual canine visits came to a halt.
They restarted about three months ago.
"There was nothing. It was silent. The kids were
bored," said Carlos Delgado, a hospital
spokesperson. "So thank God we were able to
start bringing the program back. Even a
three-minute visit with a canine makes a
difference for the day."
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Donna
Bryson and Lisa Shumaker)
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