The Hospital Dog

Product Information

In new four-part series The Dog Hospital with Graeme Hall, he gains exclusive access to Willows Hospital in Solihull, one of Britain’s busiest and most advanced veterinary hospitals.

If you don’t live in the catchment area for one of our animal hospitals or pet care clinics, we may be able to help with veterinary costs if you are struggling through our Veterinary Care Fund. The repetition was a bit eh at times, but I didn’t mind it too much especially because it was so cute and so much fun. And I just loved seeing those kids go from worried, frowning, and unhappy to happy and not so stressed out. Plus, the last parts of the hospital visit just made me laugh so hard, seeing Dot in that wheelchair held by one of the kids and then racing around. XD My real breakthrough was The Gruffalo, again illustrated by Axel. We work separately – he’s in London and I’m in Glasgow – but he sends me letters with lovely funny pictures on the envelopes. I have to say that I loved the Dutch names (Fiet (dog) and Wil (owner)), but now I see the English names and I just think those are WAY more fitting and WAY more lovely.The NHS and dogs; each keeps the nation’s heart beating. Trust Julia Donaldson, the rhymetastic author . . . to put the two together in a story that barks to our age. [P]aired with the supremely talented Sara Ogilvie . . . whose beautiful, humorous ink drawings match perfectly the bounding words. [T]he rhymes fly, the heart jumps. It’s guaranteed to give children and parents the literary equivalent of a giant welcome home wag. This is the charming story of Dot the dalmatian, a very special dog indeed. Instead of the normal visits to the park, Dot accompanies her lovely owner Rose to the hospital to soothe and entertain the children, babies, parents, doctors and nurses who are there. She even learns how to sign hello to Joe, a boy who is deaf.

In another heart wrenching case, Graeme accompanies the veterinary physiotherapy team as they work with 12-week-old Sussex Spaniel, Elton, who requires rehabilitation to regain his ability to walk following a debilitating home accident. Owner Philippa entrusts Elton’s care to the hospital’s experts, hoping they can restore mobility to his hind legs. Inspired by the author’s visit to a children’s hospital during which she saw first-hand the powerful positive impact visits from dogs can have on young patients, Julia Donaldson’s The Hospital Dog will put a wag in the tails of readers young and old, and ease pre-hospital anxiety. It’s a soul-warming hug of a book, with classic Donaldson rhymes, and Sara Ogilvie’s child-centred illustrations adding yet more characterful energy. For dog lovers who no longer live in their own home, or elderly people who attend day care centres but are unable to own a pet, interacting with a PAT Dog can bring great comfort and joy. Patting a dog, and seeing it respond, gives people a little extra boost in addition to medical and nursing care. All Pets As Therapy volunteers need to provide references, and the dogs go through a strict assessment to make sure they are suitable. Dogs must be healthy and happy to be fussed over. But they can’t get too excited and bark, jump up or paw people – hygiene and safety is paramount, and some frail patients may have paper-thin skin. The benefits of therapy dogs I really enjoy writing verse, even though it can be fiendishly difficult. I used to memorise poems as a child and it means a lot to me when parents tell me their child can recite one of my books.

How Pets As Therapy works

Dot is a hospital dog who lives with her owner Rose. Dot and Rose spend lots of time at the hospital where they comfort patients, parents and even staff. The story provides an insight into a support system for young patients that many readers won’t be aware of and includes a diverse cast of characters, both in terms of disability and ethnicity. One of my television songs, A SQUASH AND A SQUEEZE, was made into a book in 1993, with illustrations by the wonderful Axel Scheffler. It was great to hold the book in my hand without it vanishing in the air the way the songs did. This prompted me to unearth some plays I’d written for a school reading group, and since then I’ve had 20 plays published. Most children love acting and it’s a tremendous way to improve their reading.