The Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia (CHOG) gave a festive farewell to one of its most beloved employees as nurses, doctors and fellow four-legged friends gathered in the hospital’s conference room to celebrate the retirement of Nugget, the hospital’s first facility service dog.
The amiable golden retriever was two years old when she pioneered CHOG’s facility dog program in 2017. Selected from Canine Assistants, a nonprofit based in Milton, Ga. that trains service dogs, Nugget has gone on to participate in some 29,000 goal-based interactions with young patients, 5,500 of those involving treatment that included a needle.
These interactions entail developing rapport with kids and providing relief through tactile stimulation, such as lying next to a patient receiving chemo or a blood transfusion. The program has since grown to include two more service dogs, Casey and Loretta.
In her eight years with CHOG, Nugget has proved a comfort for staff as well as for patients and their families — leading some staffers who weren’t dog lovers to slowly convert.
“We, selfishly, take ownership of her, too,” said Dr. Danielle Rosema, a pediatrician at CHOG. “She was our first facility dog. She paved the way for us to get Casey and Loretta; I think she really set the standard on how great these dogs can be, and really showed … how much of a difference she can make.”
Harleigh Smith, Nugget’s handler, was a 23-year-old college graduate when she started her role as a CHOG Child Life Specialist for the facility dog program. Since then, Smith has married, become a mother, and spent her whole career with Nugget by her side.
“She’s been with me all day, every day,” said Smith, her refers to herself as Nugget’s voice. “She was at my wedding. She was my flower dog. She has been… not even my right hand girl; she’s part of who I am. So I think the next few weeks are going to be interesting as I figure out who Harleigh is without Nugget, because she has been such a constant for me, just like she’s been such a constant for staff and patients and families here at the Children’s Hospital.”
By the time Smith went to train with Nugget for two weeks in Milton, the comforting canine had already been in training since she was five weeks old, and had received temperament testing at 10 months that identified service dog qualities.
Smith notes data linking facility dogs in children’s hospitals to reduced anxiety, pain control and decreased blood pressure as she recalled discovering how both calm and, thus, calming Nugget could be, showing her suitable for posts and procedures.
Smith also remembers when she and Nugget were working with a group of elementary school-age boys undergoing oncology treatment. The boys were mostly isolated from one another, but all of them, and their families, were taken with Nugget.
“Moms found moms, dads found dads. Boys found boys that also played video games and played Fortnite, but also loved Nugget,” Smith said. “So Nugget was able to facilitate a community for these families within our outpatient clinics.”
A year and half ago, Nugget got a diagnosis of osteoarthritis in her hips. While she was still eager to come to work, Smith said, she began slowing down. Her veterinarian and the leadership at CHOG decided to let Nugget slowly decrease her work schedule. Over the past year, Nugget’s work week tapered down to two or three days a week.
Whereas as Casey and Loretta are unit-based dogs, Nugget was what Smith calls a “Swiss Army knife dog,” floating between units as needed. Nugget and Smith will continue to occasionally field media and PR requests for CHOG, as they have done for years.
While she won’t be handling Nugget at work anymore, the she will be staying with Smith and her family. Smith says the furry, four-legged caregiver has already acclimated to retirement.
“I know the time has come and she deserves good quality years of her just being a couch potato,” said Smith. “She has her favorite love seat that she’s already claimed.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering general reporting for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com
