Newfoundland dog in hospital - whatever next?

[Globules]

Not that I know my breeds, but Newfoundland was the closest I could find in Google. Whatever it was, it was large and very furry and should not be in a hospital.

You can see it's not being used as a service dog by the way it's being led.

This "my dog has to go everywhere" stupid craze has to end now.

AIBU?

Yeah, don't speak to the person with the dog. Make assumptions and vent on MN instead.

Imagine you were unwell and allergic to / scared of dogs and you saw one in a place that you wouldn’t expect.

I don’t think dogs routinely belong in hospitals (assistance / therapy dogs aside, and the odd extreme circumstances pp have mentioned)

It’s not like unwell people can just go somewhere else to avoid dogs

Maybe it was something like this.
A man had surgery but was going to die in a short while. he wasn't even leaving to go on a ward.
He was asked for his final request, he told them he wanted to say goodbye to his dog.
Theatre staff got the large dog and brought it secretively up the back stairs to the patient.
I can vouch that story is 100% true.

I remember having to stand outside A&E to collect my 90 year old gran (in covid times, I wasn’t allowed in and she had been carted in in an ambulance on 111 recommendations after a dreadful nosebleed - something which would in peace times have been fixed at the GP. I had my lab puppy with me (too young to be left at home) and he wagged his tail at everyone coning out and people actually smiled.
however taking him in would have been carnage at that age haha. He’d be fine now and would be a great therapy dog but I do see why people wouldn’t appreciate it.

So a) it’s a service dog who has been well trained to offer comfort to the dying and seriously ill,

b) it’s one of those dogs that can smell diseases, it comes in for the weekly Tuesday morning clinic,

c) it’s that dog on a piece of string that the local homeless guy brings in while he runs up the corridors shouting at all the nurses until Security chuck him out,

d) it’s a bloke visiting his mum, he had no idea dogs aren’t allowed in. He’s very sorry.

It’s one of those scenarios. Shall you toss a coin or shall I?

Don't they have therapy dogs that go round and visit people in hospital now? It's probably that.

Most likely a therapy dog

Maybe troll journalists going fishing.

The vast majority of patients love having the PAT dogs visit. If a patient doesn’t like dogs or is allergic they can just opt out and the handler will give their room a miss.

It provides a very calming and therapeutic benefit to lots of people at the worst time of their lives. If you don’t want to interact with the therapy dogs then just don’t. It’s really not hard.

OP, that dog was so far away from you you can barely even see it is a dog. How did it being there affect you in the slightest?

I didn't see the owner. I only looked up as I'd heard the kerfuffle with the trolley.

Long lead and dog height meant the porters hadn't seen the dog. Not a good combination for the person having just come out of surgery to have that sudden brake.

Plus I thought the MN way is to never talk to strangers, as they're all likely to stab you, apparently.

I know a man who takes his own dog to work. It’s a therapy dog, but for him, not the patients, one of the ones for epileptic fits or something like that. There are signs up in the public area of the hospital he works in.

Not that dog though. His is smaller.

Its a bear, are you in Canada?

My mistake. It must be a lost wolf from the constipation clearing pack @Fuckle describes.

When my dad was in hospital on a ward, with terminal cancer, I would have much rather seen this dog than the bloke who was walking the corridors trying to stab staff and other patients.

If it's in a hospital it's clearly a therapy dog or VERY exceptional circumstances

Hospitals have not become "dog friendly" so all these , THIS NEEDS TO STOP posts are ridiculous

My GP has had a dog for years in our surgery. I love seeing him! Not the same dog obviously but I have been going there for nearly 25 years.

Oh yes PAT dogs are amazing!

My uncle was dying. He wanted to see his dog one last time. The hospital staff allowed me to bring the dog in. He wasn’t a guide dog, an assistance dog, therapy dog or anything else. Just a bit of comfort to a man nearing the end.

Apart from that occasion, I’ve never seen a dog in a hospital. So I’d assume it’s there for good reason

It’s definitely his clinic day.

That’s silly and gross, but no doubt you’ll have the resident dog-fondling brigade around soon to tell you off for not wanting a big furry pissbag in a hospital

I spend a lot of time in hospital. I'd love this.

Do you not agree with therapy dogs OP?

Because I think we all know that's the most likely scenario here rather than someone off the street bringing their dog in.

You are going to lose your mind over this charity so:

https://www.cianskennels.ie/

It's probably a PAT dog (pets as therapy) very popular on children's wards and for longer staying patients eg geriatric wards. There is a range of logoed coats (for the dogs) and tshirts (for their humans) but they are optional - though the human must have their PAT ID (usually worn on a lanyard) - shame the human isn't in shot as that might have confirmed it.

The dogs are only allowed in by arrangement, so it won't be a case of someone just bringing their pet along.

Occasionally, pets are brought in to make a last visit to an owner who is not expected to survive, or to a comatose owner in the hope the pet's presence will stimulate them. This is by special arrangement only.

Hospitals can and do make arrangements for allergy precautions and no-one has to get close up to a dog if they do not want to be near one.

There is less risk from a PAT dog (who has to be well groomed, vaccinated, wormed, fleatreated and must not be fed a raw diet) than from say using public transport where any dog in any state could have been by your seat at any time

This is my favourite breed of dog, even though I’m not a huge dog lover. Iv been in hospital a lot the past year and would be delighted to have this beautiful dog for company during treatment

This. It's probably a PAT dog.