By LOIS KINDLE
Their names are Murphy, Bubbles, Schatze, Daisy and Bella, five four-legged volunteers who brighten the days of South Shore Hospital patients and caregivers.
Many would say they’re the most popular volunteers at HCA Florida South Shore Hospital. They and their handlers comprise the pet volunteer program currently being developed by volunteer coordinator Denise Young and volunteer Mary Bishop, with assistance of her 10-year-old Cavashon, Murphy.
ALISSA KOSTYK PHOTO
Mary Bishop heads down a hall at South Shore to visit any patients who would like a visit from the 10-year-old Cavashon, Murphy. They’ve been making their rounds every Thursday since January.
It’s a new element of the hospital’s overall volunteer program, which has doubled in size over the past year
“Now, with the help of Mary as the lead dog handler, having these dogs here at the hospital makes a huge difference,” said Lisa Howard, vice president of Human Resources. “You can see nothing but smiles on the faces of our patients and caregivers as soon as Murphy walks up to them to be petted.
“We’re excited about our pet volunteer program at South Shore and looking forward to seeing its continued growth.”
Bishop got Murphy when he was 9 weeks old, trained him as a therapy dog and had him certified at 18 months. The two became a team, visiting hospitals, assisted living facilities and schools in the Chicago area where they lived until about 18 months ago.
“When we came here, we met Denise and Sheldon Barr, the CEO, at a health fair in Sun City Center and introduced him as my unemployed therapy dog (due to the pandemic),” Bishop said. “They were so excited about starting a program at South Shore Hospital; they asked if I would like to bring him in.”
ALISSA KOSTYK PHOTO
Mary Bishop and her 10-year-old Cavashon visit a patient who is obviously enjoying Murphy’s company.
LOIS KINDLE PHOTO
Sun City Center resident Mary Bishop shares a moment with her certified therapy dog, Murphy, before they head off to visit patients on a Thursday morning. Bishop and Murphy helped start South Shore Hospital’s Pet Volunteer Program; this new program now has four other teams of dogs and their handlers.
Bishop and Murphy began visiting patients last January, and she and Young started sharing ideas about developing a program in which other handlers and their therapy dogs could participate.
As mentioned previously the pet volunteer program currently has five handlers and dogs, that generally work once a week on one of two shifts: 8 a.m. to noon and noon to 4 p.m. It’s up to the dog how long they actually make rounds.
It’s always the patient’s decision as to whether or not they’re up for a visit.
“Ideally, we’d like to have one team every morning and one every afternoon,” Young said. “And I would consider adding a 4 to 8 p.m. shift to the program, especially after dinner.”
According to Bishop, Murphy looks forward to his volunteer work.
“On Thursday morning, when I put on my [hospital volunteer] shirt and badge,” he knows, and he’s ready to go,” she said.
To be a part of the South Shore Hospital Pet Volunteer Program, a dog must be calm, well-trained and social, and Bishop must sign off on the pet’s readiness to serve.
Its handler must be 18 years or older, complete the application process and pass a background check.
If interested in this program or any other volunteer position at South Shore Hospital, call Young at 813-649-2523 or email her at denise.young2@hcahealthcare.com/.
