FAREWELL SHEP, MY OLD PAL
Moving moment dying grandad says goodbye to faithful collie in hospital
A TERMINALLY-ILL man had his dying wish granted when his dog was allowed to make a final visit to his hospital bedside hours before he passed away.
Staff at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee let Peter Robson’s border collie Shep into Ward 3 on Thursday.
Infection control rules mean animals are only allowed into hospitals under exceptional circumstances.
Peter’s family paid tribute to hospital staff for “making a dying man very happy”.
Staff had asked his relatives whether the 70-year-old, who was suffering from cystic fibrosis, wanted any comforts from home taken in before he died.
The family said his only wish was to see Shep again, although they thought there was no chance of it being allowed.
But 20 minutes later they were told Shep would be allowed to visit – and the dog was brought to his owner’s bed in the ward, where Peter was able to say a goodbye to his beloved pet.
In a post on Facebook, granddaughter Ashley Stevens said she’d been “amazed and touched” by the gesture by NHS staff at Ninewells. She added: “Our grandad’s last and final wish was to see his dog one more time.
“Still in shock that the wish was granted and they went above and beyond today and made a dying man very happy.”
She described Cheryl Ward, a charge nurse in Ward 3, as an “absolute angel”, saying: “We are all eternally grateful – you don’t know what this meant to our grandad.”
Ashley later told BBC Scotland her grandad had got Shep as a puppy eight years ago, with the dog becoming his companion after his wife died.
She added: “He really thought he would never see Shep again. It was an amazing moment to see the two of them together, and Shep was so excited to see him.”
Ward 3 senior charge nurse Fiona McCallum said she was proud of Cheryl and the team for their “caring” act.
NHS Tayside chief executive Lesley McLay added: “It is often little things that mean the most to patients and I’m so pleased staff were able to grant this wish.”