Items Tagged ‘Caring Canines’
November 19, 2019
Dog Days Bring Joy to Staff in Community Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine
By In the Loop 
Tammy Schmit was looking for a way to lift the spirits of her team when she had an idea: invite Mayo Clinic’s Caring Canines to bring their unique brand of cheer to the staff.
Tags: Caring Canines, Community Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Kaitlyn Maidl, Tammy Schmit
April 10, 2018
Sometimes the Best Medicine Comes With Four Legs and Fur
By In the Loop
Mayo Clinic team members are known for their caring spirit, and the four-legged members are no exception. That’s why Mayo’s Caring Canines dog therapy program is often exactly what the doctor orders.
May 2, 2017
Taking the Fear out of the Hospital, With Furry Friends and Fun
By In the Loop
It may look like Amy K. Olson’s job is all fun and games. Her 9-to-5 routine includes activities like playing bingo, bandaging dolls and leading crazy “crafternoons.” But for Olson, a child life specialist at Mayo Clinic Children’s Center, all that play has a serious purpose. “Our job in child life is to provide education […]
Tags: Amy K. Olson, Caring Canines, Child Life Specialist, Mayo Clinic Children's Center, Mayo Clinic Volunteer Services
November 17, 2016
Caring Canines Program Is ‘Love at First Sight’ for Struggling Patients
By In the Loop
After a career as a physician in Minneapolis, Denise Krivach, M.D., was looking forward to spending her retirement years in the solitude of the Montana backcountry. As the Star Tribune reports, however, those plans abruptly changed when she woke up one day to find her body “non-functional.” Local doctors initially diagnosed her with early onset […]
Tags: Caring Canines, Jessica Smidt, Therapy Dogs
December 15, 2015
A Nose for Knowing When She’s Needed
By In the Loop
Lindy Streightiff loves her job. You can see her excitement “as soon as we pull into the parking lot,” says Joan Streightiff, better known around Mayo Clinic’s Florida campus as “Lindy’s mom.” Lindy and mom are one of 32 Caring Canine teams that bring tidings of comfort and joy to patients (and staff) during the […]
Tags: Caring Canines, Florida Campus, Therapy Dogs
November 19, 2015
By In the Loop
When Jessica Smidt conducts interviews, she looks for certain must-have traits in her candidates: reliability, predictability, friendliness and, perhaps most importantly, a “happy tail.” That may sound like a strange job requirement, but for the coordinator of Mayo Clinic’s Caring Canine Therapy Dog Program, it’s a telltale (ahem) sign that a potential recruit has the […]
Tags: Caring Canines, Dr. Edward Creagan, Jessica Smidt, Sharon Theimer
February 13, 2014
He rescued his owner from a fire. (In a movie, but still.) He was part of the cast an Oscar-winning film. (But you won’t hear him brag.) He always has a trick or two up his, um, sleeve. And if you happened to be at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville last week, you may have even […]
Tags: Caring Canines, Peter Dorsher