Healing and heeling medicine - the four-legged kind

Medicine doesn’t always come in a bottle, a syringe or an IV bag.

Sometimes it trots in on four paws, with a wagging tail, warm nuzzles and lots of licks and kisses. 

Best of all, no prescription needed. 

Meet Dixie, aka Dixie Doodle or Carolina’s Queen of Dixie.

The 12-year-old, 65-pound, popcorn-loving golden doodle is MUSC Health Florence Medical Center’s first therapy dog, having made her debut in spring of this year.

And if her reception was any indication, Dixie is just what the doctor ordered.

 

“Patients and staff are always glad to see her,” said Anna Cusack, Dixie’s owner and handler. “We see some really sick patients, and we’ve visited some who have been noncooperative until they meet Dixie. Then, all of a sudden, they perk up, start talking and are more animated. I think she truly changes their mindset about being in the hospital. I’ve also seen patients who, after petting Dixie, let all their emotions come out. Dixie is happy to take it all on. She doesn’t judge.”

Instead, she delivers a healthy dose of empathy. Having had her own medical issues, including a hip replacement at age 4 and a detached retina that left her blind in her right eye, Dixie takes everything as it comes, Cusack said. 

“It’s a testament to her good nature. She keeps on pushing through, which is why she’s nearly 13 and making therapy dog visits. She has a lot of stamina.”

One Monday a month at 9 a.m., Dixie and Cusack report for duty to Kelli Cox, the hospital’s Volunteer Services manager. Cox gives Cusack a list of areas, including special requests, for the pair to visit. 

 

“We visit as many floors as we can, usually about 40 patients,” Cusack said. “If a unit has had a particularly rough week, we’ll spend time with staff there as well. Dixie also has made some good friends and always wants to stop by to see them.”

 She also makes new ones. One visitor who had never petted a dog overcame her fear of dogs when she met Dixie. “In her 40s, she petted a dog for the first time in her life,” Cusack said.

Each visit can last from two to 15 minutes. “We’ll spend as little or as much as patients and employees want,” Cusack said. “Some want her to stand up on the bed, snuggle with them, and others want to pet her head and rub her ears.” 

Not a bad life for a dog that failed her first training attempt. Cusack’s original plan was for Dixie to be a waterfowl-retrieving hunting dog. But as the saying goes, “That dog just wouldn’t hunt.”

“She was way too lazy for that,” said Cusack, a certified dog trainer. “Retrieving was not her thing. Her temperament lent itself to being kind and respectful, so I thought, ‘Let’s see how being a therapy dog works out for her.’”

Dixie passed her tests and earned her certification the day after she turned 1.

Cusack said Dixie possesses all the qualities of a good therapy dog: She has a balanced temperament and is well-mannered intuitive, respectful and not scared of machines or weird smells. 

“She can read a room,” Cusack said. “Whatever someone wants, she’s happy to give as much or as little to keep everybody comfortable. She doesn’t ask for anything more than a touch.” 

For staff, patients’ responses to Dixie can be just as uplifting as Dixie herself. Sonja Stamey, practice manager at MUSC Health’s cardiology clinic, agreed. “I love to see the patients’ reactions. It really brightens everyone’s Monday. Through Dixie, our patients see MUSC working for them. Every day, our patients see that, but small things, like a therapy visit, really matter. I want her to come back to visit our patients.”

If feedback is any indication, so do lots of patients and staff. Cox, the Volunteer Services manager, said staff are asking for more visits from fur babies. 

“They definitely want more,” she said. “The reaction of staff and patients has been overwhelmingly positive, and we want to encourage more therapy teams to join our division. When Dixie visits, we see firsthand the comfort and emotional support that a therapy dog can give a human.” 

Lucretia Weaver, a licensed practical nurse, who also works in the cardiology clinic, couldn’t agree more. “Dixie can put a smile on your face. She can lift spirits. She’s amazing.”

Information on how to join the therapy dog program is available here.