Meet Bilbo, the caring cockapoo

This year, as patients and staff at The Priory Hospital in Woking prepare for Christmas, there’s one staff member who will bring some extra cheer – Bilbo the cockapoo.

Dressed in a pair of reindeer antlers, and sometimes found taking a nap under the radiator when nobody’s looking, Bilbo is the hospital’s resident therapy dog in training.

“Sometimes patients can be with us for a month or longer, and it can be difficult for them to be away from home – especially around Christmas,” says Samantha Hickey, addictions programme manager and Bilbo’s trainer. “Having a dog around makes it feel more like home and less like a psychiatric hospital.”

Indeed, evidence suggests that having access to a pet can ease the symptoms of mental illness and lower blood pressure. People with Alzheimer’s who have a pet have been found to have fewer anxious outbursts than those who don’t after spending time with animals. Pets can also be beneficial in calming anxiety in those who have autistic spectrum disorder.

The idea of getting a therapy dog was mooted at a team meeting at the hospital just over a year ago.

“The evidence is quite overwhelming,” says hospital director Pete Watt.

“Anyone who’s had a dog will tell you that going for a walk with one can lift your spirits.”

The hospital has a history of working with animals to help its psychiatric patients. Those on the addiction program take part in equine therapy – grooming, looking after and riding horses.

And when the hospital asked for volunteers to be the dog’s owner and trainer, Samantha jumped at the chance.

The team decided on a cockapoo as they’re hypoallergenic.

“They’re a good size of dog as well. They’re not too small but not too large either, so if any of the patients did have a fear of dogs it wouldn’t be too intimidating,” explains Samantha.

By chance, a friend of hers had an accidental litter of cockapoo puppies, and she chose Bilbo for his calm temperament.

At first, he was taken to ordinary puppy training classes, before being allowed into the hospital.

Now, he comes in each day with Samantha.

“He tends to come in and hang out with the nursing teams in the morning and accompany them on their duties,” she says.

“Some patients who might not be suitable for group therapy often take him to the tennis court, or take him out for a walk with a member of staff.

“There’s a community meeting each week where patients give feedback on the hospital so he always tends to be in that. He’s a very calming presence.”

The hospital finds that younger patients especially benefit from Bilbo’s friendly nature.

“We had a younger patient who was 18 and was here for a little while but preferred not to access group therapy so he spent time with Bilbo most days and they developed a really nice bond.”

When patients admit themselves to the Priory, Bilbo can be there to greet them.

“It’s an incredibly brave thing for people to come in, so anything which makes that feel a bit more comfortable and less intimidating can only be a good thing.”

And the staff also benefit from Bilbo being around.

“When sessions are hard or emotions on the ward are quite heightened, Bilbo is such a comforting presence,” says Samantha.

“It’s nice to be able to fuss him for five minutes or take him out and get a bit of space.”

Some of the nurses even take Bilbo home for the weekend for extra cuddles when they’ve had a difficult week.

“He has a lot of sleepovers and he’s very well loved,” Samantha added.