The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Nurses praised for reuniting dying man with his dog.
Hospital staff grant patient one last moment with beloved pet
A Dundee family have praised the “angels” of the NHS after nurses granted a patient’s last wish by allowing his dog to visit him in hospital hours before he died.
Peter Robson, who was 70, had been suffering from fibrosis of the lungs and had asked to see his best pal Shep one last time.
His granddaughter, Ashley Stevens, said the family would be “eternally grateful” to the Ninewells Hospital staff.
Posting on Facebook, Miss Stevens said: “Absolutely amazed and touched today from NHS Ninewells Hospital.
“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.
“Cheryl Whyte, charge nurse of ward 3, you are an absolute angel and we are all eternally grateful. You don’t know what this meant to our grandad. “Thank you NHS.”
Mr Robson got Shep as a puppy nine years ago and he became Mr Robson’s companion after his wife died.
Miss Stevens 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.”
Ashley’s touching videos of the meeting have been watched tens of thousands of times and sparked a flood of emotional responses from viewers.
Son Peter added: “We are just so grateful to the staff for letting him be with Shep for one last time. It’s great their story is being shared, dad would be thrilled they are getting the recognition.”
Jackie McQuiston said: “Oh my goodness that is lovely, brought tears to my eyes. Truly caring from the heart.”
And Ollie Dow summed it up for so many, saying: “So sad but so happy at the same time. AMAZING.”
While NHS Tayside’s infection prevention and control policy generally advises against allowing animals into hospitals, it does allow for it in “exceptional circumstances... eg on the request of a terminally ill patient”.