The Hospice in Esher prides itself on going above and beyond for people under its care, so when a patient was admitted to the In-Patient Unit who was worried about his pregnant dog, staff did all they could to support his wishes and arranged to have the dog brought in to give birth in his room.
As each of the puppies were born, they were handed to the patient in his bed and he was able to hold them and be comforted in the knowledge they were all healthy.
All the pups were adopted within a short space of time. The last one, Oli, found a loving home with one of the Hospice’s Clinical Nurse Specialists at the time, Beverley, who is now retired, and her family. Oli is now 10-years-old, and staff at the Hospice were keen to mark the milestone by helping him celebrate his birthday with staff members and volunteers in attendance.
Oli was spoilt with doggy treats, a delicious doggy birthday cake as well as cake for people to indulge in, too.
Beverley’s daughter, Rianna, who now works for the Hospice herself, said, “It’s such a shame we’ll be away when the Summer Fete and Dog Show takes place at the Hospice on Sunday 3 July, I would definitely have entered him into the ‘Waggiest tail’ category! He’s a lovely dog, a huge part of our family, and we all love him very much.”
For many years, the Summer Fete and Dog Show has become a well-established and much-loved fixture in the local community calendar. Following the pandemic, everybody is delighted to see its return again this year. Oli might not be able to attend, but if you and your furry friend would like to come along, you can find details here www.pah.org.uk/summerfete From this page you can also enter your canine companion into the Dog Show online, via Facebook.
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Princess Alice Hospice: For Compassion. For Excellence. For People. For Living.
Princess Alice Hospice has, for more than 35 years, provided free, high-quality, specialist end of life care to tens of thousands of people across a large part of Surrey, south west London and Middlesex. Today, at any one time, Hospice nurses, doctors and other specialist staff are looking after more than 900 people in need. The Hospice’s mission is to reach out to even more people by delivering outstanding care to those that need it. To enable us to do this, we must rely on the commitment and support of our communities who help us to raise vital funds.
£10.1 million is needed each year to provide our vital services. With limited NHS funding provided by CCGs, which represents circa 24% of our expenditure on charitable activities, in more normal times, the balance is raised through legacies, fundraising, dedicated shop units and investments. It is only the generous support of our communities and beyond, that makes it possible to do our work.
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