Paws Up: Furry friend is Dayton Children’s newest employee to help kids

DAYTON, Ohio — Dayton Children’s Hospital recently started a new program called Canine Co-Pilots, designed to help children who are receiving care at the hospital.

News Center 7′s Katy Andersen spent the afternoon getting to know the hospital’s new four-legged friend and shows how she’s helping to make a difference.

Two-year-old Amelia or “Millie” for short, is a golden retriever-lab mix and is one of the newest employees at Dayton Children’s Hospital.

Karen Muller, Child-Life Manager at Dayton Children’s, said, “She works a regular 40-hour week job, just like her father.”

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Muller said Millie is the first dog to be part of their new program.

“Millie is trained to work with kids of all ages and different disabilities and to be able to help kids during procedures,” Muller said,

The program is designed to give children some extra help or comfort while they are in the hospital.

Muller said, “It might be a gentle paw on the legs as a reminder to hold still. It could be to help with their mobility and getting kids to get up and walking. It could help if there’s any anxiety for procedures.”

But, getting ready for those procedures took a lot of training for Millie and it started as soon as she was born.

Karen Shirk, CEO and founder of 4 Paws for Ability, said, “I was really excited when Dayton Children’s came to us.”

4 Paws for Abililty in Xenia is where Millie learned all her skills.

“We have some that have bee placed with fire departments, police departments, in schools, but this is the first hospital dog, so that is exciting,” Shirk said. “To know we are making an impact on the Dayton community specifically is really great.”

And, the Dayton community is why this program is possible. All of the money is from donations.

Muller said, “Those funds we’ll use for pet services and grooming and other things. Anything we need to do to take care of Millie,”

Allowing Millie to give unconditional love and care to the children in the area.

Dayton Children’s Hospital said they are working to expand their Canine Co-Pilot Program. Another dog, like Millie, is currently in training. They hope that dog will start in May.

Cox Media Group