Morning with Saru, one of the golden people visiting the children’s hospital

It is the color of sweet milk. If you hear someone say “photo,” look directly at the cell phone directed at you. She loves paper, foliage, and accompanying her human when she goes on a rally in her Volkswagen Beetle, but above all, she loves playing with the boys and having them pet her every time she visits them in that place they don’t want to be.

We’re talking about Saru, one of two golden retrievers from the Assistance Dog Activity Program implemented by La Plata Children’s Hospital last year.

The proposal, unprecedented in the region, has several legs, in addition to the eight legs of Saru and his “sister” Cora: behind everything is his mentor, coach and teacher Ana Morenego; And the social work team of Sister Maria Ludovica, who accompanies them and coordinates meetings with health workers.

The goal “is to improve the quality of life of the children and adolescents being helped in its physical, social, emotional and cognitive dimensions,” as described in the official project, with “complementary measures of medical health treatment deployed in the process of care” for each case.

Various studies around the world support this practice, concluding that the presence of animals can reduce pain, stress, and feelings of isolation, as well as improve mobility, motivation, and emotional well-being.

So far, 128 children have been included in this visiting programme. The promoters of the initiative emphasized that “in general aspects, positive changes were observed in the mood” of patients who showed an attitude defined by “negativity, disinterest or resignation in the face of hospitalization.” It is clear that each child, his or her caregiver and the professionals who help him or her should support the meetings held every Wednesday in the rooms of Wards 3 and 4 and the day hospital which operates on the second floor.

On that day, Cora or Saru (they never go together) arrived at the hospital in the truck driven by Ana from Quilmes, where they live. The guide prevents the dog from contacting other people before entering each room, as she cleans its fur and four paws with a special towel. So, yes, they are ready for the boys to visit.

They’re not the only ones happy to see them. This journalist can attest, because she accompanied them on the last tour, where the protagonist was Saru. While Anna was cleaning it, she was collecting greetings.

“Hello, Saru,” says Elizabeth, a nurse from Ward 4 who has worked at the hospital for 15 years. “If for us – who are here for a few hours – it is a great joy, then imagine for them, who spend days or months in the hospital. It is fresh air.”

Next to Anna is Fiamma Daubini, from the team of social workers, and her coordinator, Diana Domeniconi. As Saru waits with stoic patience for the cleaning ritual to end, a nurse arrives to say that “Chavela already knows you’ve arrived and she’s worried.”

Chavela is 8 years old, with short hair and almond-shaped eyes that grow when they see Saru enter. He smiles. Anna places a blanket of flowers at the foot of the bed.

The golden one jumps to lie on the legs of the little girl who pampers her, while she licks her guide’s hand. “Boys can kiss her, but she can’t,” Anna explains. This is also part of the protocol, such as indicating not to give the ball to the child until the teacher finds out that he or she is not afraid; Bathe them up to 48 hours before the visit, ensure they are strictly vaccinated and have veterinary examinations every six months.

“Can I stay until next Wednesday?” Shavela asks her mother. She hopes to finish painting with the plants she is preparing for Saru by then, but the woman replies, “Let’s think of somewhere else to see them. If we can leave early, that’s better.”

In the other bed in the same room is Ciro, a two-year-old boy who desperately wants to pet the dog. “He misses himself,” the parents explain; “We’ve been here a long time and they’ve grown up together.”

“unexpected changes”

Gustavo Sastre is the CEO of Sur Maria Ludovica and the main worker in this experiment. “We take this program from what has been done at other institutions with evidence of its effectiveness, such as at the San Juan de Dios Children’s Hospital in Barcelona, ​​where animal-assisted interventions within the hospital or therapeutic spaces for pediatric patients have been shown to generate unexpected changes,” he says.

It refers to “the way to feel, communicate, and improve faster than treatments and is very effective for supporting children with mental health conditions.”

The proposal made by Morenejo herself did not take long to become a reality because from the Hospital of La Plata they were already monitoring these experiments abroad. Sastre confirms: “They care a lot about animals, and it has been proven that they do not transmit diseases” in these circumstances.

Following the launch of this programme, another initiative promoted by the Ombudsman’s Office was added, starring Ari, a long-haired Chihuahua who arrived from Ukraine and lives with a social worker at the hospital (see separate).

Macanets

Ana Morenejo spent her life among boys. Teaching profession, and when she learned that she was close to retirement, she tried to become a teacher in the hospital, but due to various circumstances, this was not possible. She studied as a dog trainer at veterinary school and obtained a diploma in assistive interventions, and developed her first experiences with Perla, another golden retriever who has since died. Four years ago, he added Saru and Korra to his life, who were born in different kennels. He selected them with several tests that apply to 30-day-old pups, and are able to provide perspective regarding each specimen’s ability to interact with children it is not familiar with. He explains that although the race has an aptitude for these tasks, “there are innate conditions for each individual.” In the case of Cora and Saru, Anna is sure that they enjoy communicating with the boys because “when we arrive they are excited. They come happy, and if you offer them more visits, they seem happy,” she says.

When Anna approached Sister Maria Ludovica about her canine-assisted hospital services project, it didn’t take long for Sastre to open doors for her. The initiative is completely voluntary. Morenejo bears veterinary expenses, transportation and insurance for possible accidents. The truck belongs to his brother. Of course there was, and still is, some resistance, but it is becoming less and less.

“Although the training is well focused on assistive interventions, they (Kora and Saru) have the freedom to decide and develop” – Anna details-; “They sense the mood of the creatures by the scents they emit, and they know if they need more time or if they are already satisfied, because of the serotonin curve. That’s why there are no screams, no emotional farewells. We all leave the visit calm.”

With her knowledge of theory, Anna is constantly influenced by the implications of practice.

Months ago, during a routine tour, Saru sat in front of a room with the door closed. Didn’t move. One of the nurses explained that the child had just left treatment and they were waiting for him to wake up so he could say goodbye to his parents, because there was no chance of his survival. But he didn’t wake up. Then they opened the door for Saru, and she put her head under the child’s hand, and when he touched her, she reacted. The dog left and the parents spent those last minutes with their son.

the previous

In addition to coordinating the hospital’s team of social workers, Diana loves dogs and works with rescuers. “In June 2024, Dr. Sastre called me to introduce me to Anna,” he recalls, so he immediately set about investigating similar experiments developed in other countries around the world.

“The project was analyzed from a legal perspective because many permits and licenses had to be processed,” he explains. “Anna had to take out private accident insurance and ensure veterinary checks every six months.”

Saru was the first to participate in the visits that started from the central guard, continued through the green spaces, and advanced through the different rooms. Mama joined the Canine Assistance Team, which includes Ari, who is part of the hospital’s humane care program, with proposals related to art and expression.

This year, demand from medical teams has increased so that visits can be repeated in other rooms or services, and they are considering adding Korra and Saru interaction to the staff. “They need that too,” Diana admits. “They spend a lot of time here, and it’s difficult.”