{"id":266,"date":"2019-01-27T06:20:07","date_gmt":"2019-01-27T14:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/?p=999936265"},"modified":"2019-01-27T06:20:07","modified_gmt":"2019-01-27T14:20:07","slug":"everyone-loves-zeta-facility-dog-changes-everything-at-miller-childrens-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/everyone-loves-zeta-facility-dog-changes-everything-at-miller-childrens-hospital","title":{"rendered":"Everyone loves Zeta: Facility dog &#8216;changes everything&#8217; at Miller Children&#8217;s Hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Zeta is the hospitals first full-time Facility Dog.\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/oGcwFtsZ-HY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Little girl in a hospital.<\/p>\n<p>Very little girl. Very big hospital.<\/p>\n<p>She\u2019s just turned 2 and has been coming to Long Beach Memorial Miller\u00a0Children&#8217;s\u2019 Hospital for half her life, working on issues ranging from fine motor skills to sitting up, standing and walking; the 50-minute sessions taxing her stamina and focus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAmanda can be a little stubborn,\u201d says Alison Yamaguchi, a physical therapist at Miller\u2019s. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s been difficult to get her to engage, to allow the therapists to help her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But there are no such issues today. If anything, Amanda Perez demands more tasks, her wide eyes and enthusiasm clearly directed at one member of the therapy team and, when from a sitting position, she not only pops up on her feet but immediately begins taking steps toward the object of her affection, Yamaguchi nearly busts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<i>This<\/i> is why we got a dog!\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>Zeta is also 2 years old. A black labrador\/golden retriever mix, she is a facility dog that has been working at Miller\u2019s since November. A facility dog is distinct from therapy animals. While the latter provide a critical service in offering comfort to patients, Zeta, by her training, is able to actually participate in a patient\u2019s therapy.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999934471\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999934471\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999934471 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/0110-Dog-246-935x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"657\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999934471\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amanda Perez, 2 of Los Angeles, looks over to facility dog Zeta as Amanda goes through her therapy at Miller Children&#8217;s &amp; Women&#8217;s Hospital In Long Beach. Zeta is the hospital&#8217;s first full-time facility dog. Photo by Thomas R Cordova<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThe difference is that as a facility dog, Zeta has had intense training, knows 40 commands and is able to integrate into therapeutic sessions,\u201d says Shelly Forcier, one of Zeta\u2019s two handlers.<\/p>\n<p>To watch Amanda and Zeta, it doesn\u2019t seem so much that the dog is integrated into the therapy as much as she is leading it. Although several therapists are around Amanda for the entire session, handing her objects, directing her through exercises, she rarely looks at them. Her eyes stay on Zeta. When they hand her a brush to groom Zeta, when they ask her to open containers to feed Zeta, she does it immediately, with no coaxing, unaware she is fine-tuning her motor skills and strengthening her hands. Likewise, when Zeta nudges a big red ball to her with a flick of her head, Amanda, standing up, reaches out with a squeal to stop the ball and then pushes it back.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cZeta brings a different energy, she brings so much more engagement,\u201d says Catherine Hewatt, Zeta\u2019s other handler. \u201cHaving the dog to interact with patients brings them a new spark of joy and motivation. We may ask them to reach for something to build strength, well, reaching for a dog is so much more fun than just reaching for a ball.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd even if there is no way to integrate her into a particular therapy, just her presence motivates patients who didn\u2019t necessarily want to do therapy. It changes the whole dynamic. Zeta changes everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999934470\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999934470\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999934470 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/0110-Dog-273-970x451.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"279\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999934470\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Zeta plays ball with Amanda Perez. Photo by Thomas R Cordova<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>She did for Amanda. It was just a couple of weeks before that they met. Amanda doing her usual therapy and Zeta, who came on to the Miller staff in November, walking through the therapy gym on her way to a photo shoot. Suddenly, the little girl and the dog locked on each other. The little girl smiled. Then she asked to go say hi.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe never planned to use Zeta with her, it happened kind of organically,\u201d Hewatt says. \u201cShe had trouble sitting up on her own but she sat up for almost 20 minutes next to the dog.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Zeta came to Miller through Canine Companions for Independence. Hewatt and Forcier went through an intensive, two-week training session in Oceanside that had them living in barracks. The pair does not seem happy to work with Zeta, honestly, none of the therapists do. You can fake happy. What you see in them is joy. The same joy that wells up inside Amanda only to spill out across her face is mirrored by everyone in the facility; not just the therapists, but Amanda\u2019s mother, Yvette Marin, the young man rehabbing on the weight machine, the photographer and reporter from the local news site, everyone. Though it\u2019s not always a good thing to say in a hospital, Zeta is infectious.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh, it\u2019s not just the patients,\u201d Yamaguchi says. \u201cWhen Shelly walks the hallway with the dog, I\u2019ve seen staff members just pop out absolutely ecstatic.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999934468\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999934468\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999934468 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/0110-Dog-324-970x607.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"375\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999934468\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amanda pets Zeta, while surrounded by her therapist, Shelly Forcier, Zeta handler left, Sam Lin, Physical Therapist center and Lizzie Pluskalowski, Occupational Therapist right, at Miller Children&#8217;s &amp; Women&#8217;s Hospital. Photo by Thomas R Cordova<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>About the only one who does not seem joyful is Zeta who maintains an air of placid industry. Her bearing being one of calm utility from which she does not deviate.<\/p>\n<p>But she does get tired. Though Amanda, who had struggled to finish other Zeta-less sessions, appears that she could easily zip through another 50 minutes, Zeta needs rest. She is led away toward Forcier\u2019s office where she has a space to sleep and toys that keep her mind engaged. Forcier and Zeta are particularly close since they go home together each night.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m an animal lover but I haven\u2019t had a dog for 30 years. I\u2019ve got cats,\u201d Forcier says with a laugh. \u201cMy family and I are getting used to having a dog, and we\u2019re loving it. Even my cats are starting to like it. Well, one of them is, the other is reserving judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_999934466\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-999934466\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-999934466 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/0110-Dog-089-970x686.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"424\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-999934466\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Amanda feeds treats to Zeta as part of her therapy at Miller Children&#8217;s &amp; Women&#8217;s Hospital. Photo by Thomas R Cordova<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Yvette smiles as Amanda says good-bye to Zeta. She knows that her daughter will talk about the dog the entire drive home and for a good deal of the time before her next session.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Zeta has had such a beneficial effect on her daughter that Yvette says the family is considering getting a dog of their own.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Zeta has had such a beneficial effect on the hospital&#8217;s patients that the wheels have been put in motion to get a second facility dog to work at its outpatient facility.<\/p>\n<p>But, for now, there is only one Zeta and as she is watched each step as she makes her way to the office. Everyone follows her with their eyes, smiling. Nearly at the office doorway, Zeta\u2019s gaze is met by a little girl who has just been wheeled into the gym.<\/p>\n<p>Dog looks at little girl.<\/p>\n<p>Little girl smiles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Zeta is 2-year-old black labrador\/golden retriever mix and a facility dog that has been working with patients at Miller Children&#8217;s Hospital since November. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":241,"featured_media":65794,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[3,183],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hi-lo","tag-instagram","tag-miller-childrens-hospital","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/241"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19850,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266\/revisions\/19850"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65794"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=266"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}