furry and just a foot tall four year old
Ike marches through the halls of Ronald
Reagan UCLA Medical Center accompanied
by his volunteer handler Andrea
Ike is on a mission to heal is a sweet
Ike walks around the halls like he owns
the place and he walked just like a
little general being that's his name Ike
once he's placed on the beds with the
patients he just as mellow as can be we
call him a stuffed animal with a
heartbeat and he just goes limp when a
rough few days nice really helps Ike and
Andrea are one of 70 teams of volunteers
in UCLA's people animal connection one
of the first and most comprehensive
animal therapy Hospital programs in the
country
we go to over 40 units in the hospitals
and it's anyone who would like a visit
with a dog we visit everyone from the
intensive care units pediatrics we go to
labor and delivery and the emergency
room so we go all over the hospital the
highly trained volunteer teams have made
hundreds of thousands of patient visits
since the program began Ellen and golden
doodle Charlie visit nine-year-old Abbey
who has had heart surgery the wonderful
thing about dogs is that it takes their
mind off of the hospital and what's
happening around them in the hospital so
it almost feels like it's more of a home
situation that really helps them tiny
hazel is waiting for a life-saving liver
transplant
can you take the people animal
connection is the most phenomenal
program that I've ever been associated
with I have seen little miracles and
it's just the joy that it brings and I
thought these dogs are bringing laughter
into the hospital the people animal
connection at UCLA is an pet assisted
therapy program that helps our patients
remember that there's another world
outside of the hospital
you know the patients are not the only
ones who get a benefit from the dog
visits the staff the doctors the nurses
even the environmental services staff
when the dogs are in the unit it feels
like a different place it shatters the
illusion of a hospital and makes
everybody feel a little bit more home
being in hospital can be a scary thing
when you see a dog get into a bed with
the patient and you see that fear or
that pain lifts it's a wonderful thing
it's just it's it's beautiful to see the
connection between the patient and the
dog
I love dogs right my favorite animal and
I'd do anything to see you don't like
this I really like Charlie I think all
of us in the program have experienced
miracles at some time you know people
that have been depressed or what moves
and talked and suddenly there's a dog
and they just recount for them the
people animal connection teams undergo
months of training evaluation and
testing to qualify Shelby the dogs are
thoroughly washed and groomed for every
visit the program is funded entirely by
donations and relies on the commitment
of its two and four legged volunteers
comforting it makes you feel more at
home and Locust Logans nice and sweet
when you see a patient react when they
see a dog that's that says it all
I'm 90 years old you know if they're all
treat for me
well lots of doctors and scientists are
surprised at what we see but you see
their heart rate goes down their blood
pressure goes down you see the patients
get happier and more relaxed they kind
of forget that they're in a hospital bed
especially here in the ICU when
everyone's kind of in their worst state
is having the dogs calm is just like mix
their day from two pounds up to 200
pedigrees and rescues you are Beauty
food there are dogs visiting patients at
the UCLA Westwood and Santa Monica
hospitals virtually every day it would
be hard now to imagine the highest level
of patient care without them
seeing the value of these dogs and the
impact they bring really is
life-changing
thank you so much for visiting my