In 2015, Brad Hoop was diagnosed with a rare form of testicular cancer. During his continued string of treatments, he spent a lot of time having blood drawn for testing. It always made him anxious.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate needles \u2026 I\u2019m a guy who when you did blood work, you have to bring out smelling salts, orange juice, cold compresses and monitor my blood pressure,\u201d he jokes.<\/p>\n
One day as he waited, a hospital therapy dog came in. \u201cI can\u2019t even describe how much that dog meant,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt was great to have that experience. It took my mind off of all the stuff I was going to have to go through and brought joy and relief for a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brad decided that once he got through his cancer treatments, he was going to get a dog and give others the chance to be helped. He knew the breed he wanted to join his family, too \u2014 a Bullmastiff<\/a>. He had them in the past and was confident they had the temperament for the work.<\/p>\n Want to Know About Bullmastiffs? Read 9 Reasons to Love Bullmastiffs<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n After his own illness, Brad knows the impact a therapy dog like Gus can have. Photo: Mike Dickbernd Photography<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Dal Primo I Solemnly Swear, a mushy-faced Bullmastiff pup, was born in April 2016. Two years after his birth, Crystal Corner of Indianapolis, who at the time bred the dal Primo line, decided to retire. Her loveable, well-mannered giant 2-year-old show dog had proven to be a perfect candidate to be the second half to Brad\u2019s hospital volunteer duo. It was love at first sight, and the pup was renamed Gus.<\/p>\n Brad wanted to give back to those at the IU Health hospital that had become family to him and to work with children. This led him to the Riley Hospital for Children<\/a>, part of the IU Health network. Brad reached out to Kim Ziegler, the hospital\u2019s pet-therapy coordinator and child-life specialist. Kim put Brad and Gus on the training path to volunteer under the strict guidelines her program requires.<\/p>\n First step: get Gus through the American Kennel Club\u2019s Canine Good Citizen<\/a> program. After that Gus was evaluated by Paws and Think<\/a>, a volunteer-led nonprofit serving central Indiana by connecting people with dogs for life-saving and life-changing results. It was there Gus learned how to behave around the sights and sounds he would encounter in a hospital. After passing and getting his therapy dog certification (something he must test and renew every two years), Gus was evaluated by Kim Ziegler herself.<\/p>\n Brad and Gus now visit Riley\u2019s every Tuesday. They\u2019d love to go more often, but Gus must be bathed within 24 hours before his visit with the kids, an activity that is too much for his skin to do more than once a week.<\/p>\n Photo: Mike Dickbernd Photography<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Besides the bath and the beef-bone reward Gus receives afterward, it’s when Brad gets the backpack that they take to the hospital, which signals to Gus he\u2019s about to go to work.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen he walks through the hospital door, it\u2019s like it just clicks for him,\u201d Brad explains proudly. Gus knows what he is there to do and he loves doing it.<\/p>\n Riley Children\u2019s Hospital has strict protocol for its pet therapy program. Kim herself escorts Brad and Gus to each child\u2019s room. Everyone in the room sanitizes their hands, and the child has given permission to see Gus.<\/p>\n A sheet is put down where Gus will be. Brad sanitizes his own hands, the duo comes in and Gus takes over!<\/p>\n He prefers to have his front paws up on the patient\u2019s bed but stays down if that is the child\u2019s preference. Gus loves to have the children rub his velvety ears and the soft fur on the top of his head. He cuddles close, allowing the kids to wrap their arms around his impressively large head \u2014 all the while emanating strength and love.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen a mom tells you that is the first time their kid has smiled in weeks when they see Gus, that is what it is all about,\u201d Brad explains. He also remembers a parent telling him that their child couldn\u2019t get her head off the pillow but raised it for the first time when Gus came in the room.<\/p>\n After visiting patients\u2019 rooms, Brad and Gus make another stop so the hospital workers can have their time snuggling with Gus. Due to Brad\u2019s own experience, he knows that they, too, can benefit from time with a loving pup.<\/p>\n When the two get home, Gus is pooped and usually naps the rest of the day. Although he still manages to enjoy his second beef bone \u2014 his reward for a job well-done.<\/p>\n The volunteer work is rewarding to Brad. He\u2019s been there, and he knows the impact a therapy dog like Gus has. He concludes, \u201cIf I can bring some joy and take away some of that pain for just a few minutes for the kids and the staff, that\u2019s well worth it.<\/p>\n Featured photograph: Mike Dickbernd Photography<\/em><\/p>\n Read Next:<\/strong>How to Raise a Puppy to be a Guide Dog<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The post Meet the Dynamic Duo Bringing Happiness to Hospitals<\/a> by Wendy Newell<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n The post Meet the Dynamic Duo Bringing Happiness to Hospitals<\/a> by Wendy Newell<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n In 2015, Brad Hoop was diagnosed with a rare form of testicular cancer. During his continued string of treatments, he spent a lot of time having blood drawn for testing. It always made him anxious.<\/p>\n \u201cI hate needles \u2026 I\u2019m a guy who when you did blood work, you have to bring out smelling salts, orange juice, cold compresses and monitor my blood pressure,\u201d he jokes.<\/p>\n One day as he waited, a hospital therapy dog came in. \u201cI can\u2019t even describe how much that dog meant,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt was great to have that experience. It took my mind off of all the stuff I was going to have to go through and brought joy and relief for a few minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n Brad decided that once he got through his cancer treatments, he was going to get a dog and give others the chance to be helped. He knew the breed he wanted to join his family, too \u2014 a Bullmastiff<\/a>. He had them in the past and was confident they had the temperament for the work.<\/p>\n Want to Know About Bullmastiffs? Read 9 Reasons to Love Bullmastiffs<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n After his own illness, Brad knows the impact a therapy dog like Gus can have. Photo: Mike Dickbernd Photography<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Dal Primo I Solemnly Swear, a mushy-faced Bullmastiff pup, was born in April 2016. Two years after his birth, Crystal Corner of Indianapolis, who at the time bred the dal Primo line, decided to retire. Her loveable, well-mannered giant 2-year-old show dog had proven to be a perfect candidate to be the second half to Brad\u2019s hospital volunteer duo. It was love at first sight, and the pup was renamed Gus.<\/p>\n Brad wanted to give back to those at the IU Health hospital that had become family to him and to work with children. This led him to the Riley Hospital for Children<\/a>, part of the IU Health network. Brad reached out to Kim Ziegler, the hospital\u2019s pet-therapy coordinator and child-life specialist. Kim put Brad and Gus on the training path to volunteer under the strict guidelines her program requires.<\/p>\n First step: get Gus through the American Kennel Club\u2019s Canine Good Citizen<\/a> program. After that Gus was evaluated by Paws and Think<\/a>, a volunteer-led nonprofit serving central Indiana by connecting people with dogs for life-saving and life-changing results. It was there Gus learned how to behave around the sights and sounds he would encounter in a hospital. After passing and getting his therapy dog certification (something he must test and renew every two years), Gus was evaluated by Kim Ziegler herself.<\/p>\n Brad and Gus now visit Riley\u2019s every Tuesday. They\u2019d love to go more often, but Gus must be bathed within 24 hours before his visit with the kids, an activity that is too much for his skin to do more than once a week.<\/p>\n Photo: Mike Dickbernd Photography<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Besides the bath and the beef-bone reward Gus receives afterward, it’s when Brad gets the backpack that they take to the hospital, which signals to Gus he\u2019s about to go to work.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen he walks through the hospital door, it\u2019s like it just clicks for him,\u201d Brad explains proudly. Gus knows what he is there to do and he loves doing it.<\/p>\n Riley Children\u2019s Hospital has strict protocol for its pet therapy program. Kim herself escorts Brad and Gus to each child\u2019s room. Everyone in the room sanitizes their hands, and the child has given permission to see Gus.<\/p>\n A sheet is put down where Gus will be. Brad sanitizes his own hands, the duo comes in and Gus takes over!<\/p>\n He prefers to have his front paws up on the patient\u2019s bed but stays down if that is the child\u2019s preference. Gus loves to have the children rub his velvety ears and the soft fur on the top of his head. He cuddles close, allowing the kids to wrap their arms around his impressively large head \u2014 all the while emanating strength and love.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen a mom tells you that is the first time their kid has smiled in weeks when they see Gus, that is what it is all about,\u201d Brad explains. He also remembers a parent telling him that their child couldn\u2019t get her head off the pillow but raised it for the first time when Gus came in the room.<\/p>\n After visiting patients\u2019 rooms, Brad and Gus make another stop so the hospital workers can have their time snuggling with Gus. Due to Brad\u2019s own experience, he knows that they, too, can benefit from time with a loving pup.<\/p>\n When the two get home, Gus is pooped and usually naps the rest of the day. Although he still manages to enjoy his second beef bone \u2014 his reward for a job well-done.<\/p>\n The volunteer work is rewarding to Brad. He\u2019s been there, and he knows the impact a therapy dog like Gus has. He concludes, \u201cIf I can bring some joy and take away some of that pain for just a few minutes for the kids and the staff, that\u2019s well worth it.<\/p>\n Featured photograph: Mike Dickbernd Photography<\/em><\/p>\n Read Next:<\/strong>How to Raise a Puppy to be a Guide Dog<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The post Meet the Dynamic Duo Bringing Happiness to Hospitals<\/a> by Wendy Newell<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.dogster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Hoop_Brad_and_Gus_Riley_01_0303_md.png\")
<\/p>\nThe right partner<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.dogster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Hoop_Brad_and_Gus_Martin_Josslyn_Riley_01_0303_md.png\")
<\/p>\nOn the job<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nThe right partner<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nOn the job<\/h3>\n