2-year-old Rottweiler therapy dog Loki is known for comforting patients each week at the University of Maryland Medical Center. But then the coronavirus pandemic prevented therapy dogs from visiting the hospital.
So that’s when her owner Caroline Benzel, and Loki figured out a creative way to still help patients. They did remote therapy dog visits. Benzel would have Loki sit outside and they would have patients imagine they were sitting outside with Loki and hearing the birds, and seeing other people.
Benzel is a second-year medical student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She started training Loki since he was 18 weeks old and she says she’s always been a natural at her job.
In doing their virtual visits, Benzel noticed the physical effects of masks that healthcare workers are forced to wear. So she thought of ways to help them and came up with care packages called “Hero Healing Kits.“ In those kits were hypoallergenic lotion for irritated skin, packs of gum to help with dry mouth, medicated powder to help with skin irritation, vaseline, chapstick, and tea and coffee packets. Each package is adorned with Loki’s face on them along with a thank you note with messages of appreciation. With the help of a neighbor, they put together about 1,400 kits so far. They’ve also raised money from medical students to help creating more kits for neighboring hospitals.
If you want to help the cause, or just watch Dogtor Loki and her owner’s progress, follow along here.
