10th anniversary of Pet Pals at Children’s Hospital

On June 1, the Pet Pals program will celebrate its 10th anniversary of providing companionship and comfort to hospitalized children.

The program, in which specially selected dogs are brought to the University of Wisconsin Children’s Hospital on Tuesdays and Saturdays to boost the morale of hospitalized youngsters, is run by volunteers in close partnership with the UW School of Veterinary Medicine and the UW Children’s Hospital.

Pet Pals was started in 1996 by Linda Teeter, a veterinary medical student who is now a practicing veterinarian in Jefferson. After numerous meetings, the initial organizers hammered out the necessary details to make the visits possible while still safeguarding the health of hospitalized children.

Since then, the program has proven wildly popular with volunteers as well as with patients, their parents and the volunteers alike. The anniversary celebration will bring together both current and past Pet Pals dogs and owners, plus representatives from both the UW School of Veterinary Medicine and UW Children’s Hospital.

The event will be held on Thursday, June 1, from 5:30-8:30 p.m., with a formal program at 6 p.m., in the atrium of the Health Sciences Learning Center, 750 Highland Ave. Media are welcome to attend. Pet Pals volunteers with their dogs, plus program originators, will be in attendance. If you would prefer to talk to sources in advance, please contact me at (608) 263-6914 to arrange interviews.

Since 1996, 71 dogs have served as Pet Pals volunteers, and the four-footed team members have logged more than 1,000 visits. Only one in every eight dogs tested makes the cut and becomes a Pet Pals dog. Over the past decade, more than 200 volunteers, from veterinary medicine students to pet owners, have made the program possible.