HOW ALFIE THE PUG IS HELPING CHILDREN IN HOSPITAL
THE world through Alfie’s eyes is a very positive one indeed.
That’s because he’s a therapy pug – and it’s his job to bring a smile to poorly children’s faces.
Everyone who sees him says ‘aww’ and gives him a pet and a cuddle – and who can blame them?
His owner is Suzy Emsden, who works as a paediatric intensive care consultant.
But in her spare time, she volunteers with Pets as Therapy to take Alfie to wards at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, Wythenshawe Hospital, Stepping Hill and Manchester Royal Infirmary.
He visited the Children’s Hospital on the Wednesday before Christmas to bring some festive cheer to the wards, but it’s not just a Christmas thing – he does this all year round.
Alfie, unsurprisingly, is a major hit on social media too – his Instagram account has 110,000 loyal followers, and his pictures and videos consistently get thousands of likes from all over the world.
He showcases his job as a therapy dog – and also his home life, where he enjoys dressing up, and playing with his siblings, a cat called Cheese and a kitten called Rosie.
Miss Emsden, speaking previously about Alfie’s impact on poorly children, said: “Their faces are so happy because they just don’t expect to see a dog in a hospital environment.
“As one of the older children said he likes Alfie because he doesn’t ask him any questions, he just comes and gives him a cuddle and doesn’t want anything back and I think that’s what makes a big difference.
“The other thing is that Alfie doesn’t see disability or illness, he just sees a person and goes up for a hug and he’s not bothered by drips or bandages or beeps and things like that as he’s used to all the noises and he’ll just go and snuggle in and have a cuddle with anyone.”