A new four-legged staff member has joined the Studer Family Children’s Hospital at Ascension Sacred Heart.
Birdie, a nearly 2-year-old golden retriever, will provide comfort, support and lots of love to pediatric patients moving through the pre-operation care process at the hospital.
Birdie was introduced to the public on Wednesday in the hospital’s Greenhut Auditorium.
She joins five other facility dogs – Sherlock, Klio, Swirl and Luisa, all golden retrievers, and Tully, a chocolate Labrador – that work with patients at the hospital.
“Birdie will help our young patients deal with stress, anxiety and just the fear of going into the operating room,” said Tiffany Cayton, a nurse manager at the children’s hospital.
“She’ll get a chance to spend time with patients. She’ll lie down with them when they get an IV or just hang out with them while they wait to go back into surgery.”
Cayton added Birdie will be well-received by the patients.
“She is spunky. She is young. She has lots of energy, and she’s super cute,” Cayton said.
Birdie came to the children’s hospital from Canine Assistants, a nonprofit organization based in Milton, Georgia, that trains and provides service dogs for children and adults with physical disabilities or other special needs.
Her purchase was made possible through the fundraising efforts of the inaugural Change Makers, Junior Board of the Sacred Heart Foundation. The group – made up of high school students – raised over $30,000 during the 2024-2025 fundraising season.
“We started with our Kids for Kids campaign last summer and set up lemonade stands all around town. We recruited local kids to run the stands and help raise money for a facility dog,” said Melina Snyder, a Change Maker member.
The group also hosted a Breakfast with the Blues and sold lemonade during Gallery Night to raise money.
The children’s hospital received it first therapy/goodwill dog, Sprout, in 2018. Sprout has since retired.
In 2019, the children’s hospital received four new trained pediatric therapy dogs thanks to a $100,300 grant from Impact 100 Pensacola Bay Area.
The most recent therapy dog purchased (before Birdie) was Luisa, who works with oncology and ICU patients. Her purchase was made possible by a $10,000 donation from the Grand Chapter of the Florida Order of Eastern Star.
Each dog has its own handler who received specialized training through Canine Assistants. The handlers, who come from hospital staff, care for the dogs as their own.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Golden retriever Birdie will make hospital visits a little brighter for young patients
Reporting by Mary Lett, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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