CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A canine companion is making the rounds at Corpus Christi Medical Center.
A two-year-old Sheepadoodle named Max is now a facility dog there, helping improve the hospital experience for patients.
A CCMC doctor originally got him to be part of his family. They soon realized he would be an even better fit for the hospital, after the challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
"You can see patients line up when he rounds visitors in the hallway. Not even to interact with him, just to see him in the setting improves their mood and their outlook," Delgado said.
Max is the first facility dog for CCMC. He went through an intensive training program for a year and a half.
Alicia Ramirez is Juan Ramirez's daughter, the doctor who originally adopted Max. She knows the relief that he can bring to the hospital and other places like a fire station.
"It's rewarding and it's fun to play with him and his best part is right here to touch, cause it's nice and fluffy," Ramirez said.
Dr. Ramirez said Max was a blessing for his family and now for the hospital community. He took Max to CCMC and soon discovered the need for him there, after seeing how well he fit in at home.
"The kids were integrated with him very, very fast and quickly and, and we noticed that it changed the dynamics of the family in a positive way," Dr. Ramirez said.
Max now donates his time to CCMC to lighten the mood of patients. Director of Trauma June Ness Delgado said when patients are in a slump, a visit from him can give them motivation to get to the next phase of their care.
"It's easier sometimes to receive difficult information or get through a hard day with animal-assisted therapy," Delgado said.
Max also visits first responders, bringing positive energy and calmness to what can be a high-stress job. Corpus Christi Fire Department Firefighter Walker Peden said Max brings another aspect of home life to his station when he visits.
"After a critical call or something that could be very stressful in our job," Peden said. "Him coming and seeing us, that would definitely be a stress reliever and helpful for us."
Delgado added that Max is trained to be at CCMC for eight hours a day and that she is honored to bring him to different areas of the hospital and see the positive effect he has there.
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