‘Brightening their day’: Local K9 teams bolster holiday cheer at Sacred Heart Medical Center

Christmas came early at Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center on Wednesday when some four-legged friends helped deliver toys to children and much-needed relief to staff.

About 30 K-9 dogs split up to make the rounds at the hospital with their officers at the invitation of the hospital’s own K-9 safety unit. The K-9 team at Sacred Heart serves as deterrent dogs, said Patrick McKenna, who supervises the unit.

For the third year in a row, festive pups visited patients and staff for the holidays, but this year was the largest procession, McKenna said.

McKenna invited local law enforcement agencies to participate in the holiday tradition, and K-9 units from Spokane to Kootenai, Rathdrum, Post Falls and Coeur d’Alene all joined the festivities.

“It was a day of spreading joy to children and caregivers who are having a hard time, and as we know with COVID, it’s been difficult on our caregivers,” McKenna said.

Dogs dressed up with Christmas lights, antlers and holiday garb walked the hospital halls. Some patients came out to greet them, and some caregivers enjoyed having a dog to pet.

Sacred Heart has not had therapy dogs in the building lately, so the sight of dogs walking through the halls was a surprise to many.

“Just being able to (go on rounds) and pet the dogs, it’s just brightening their day,” said Mary Jo Moore, director of critical care at Sacred Heart. “It’s amazing.”

Officers and dogs were not allowed in patient rooms, but Providence staff handed out gifts in rooms, along with Santa, who tagged along with some of the K-9 teams.

One boy ran out of his room to hug Zeus, a Spokane police K-9.

“Putting a smile on his face is the most rewarding thing,” Spokane police Officer Todd Belitz said.

Providence hospitals in Spokane were the first to have a designated K9 unit on-site statewide. This year, the dogs did not bite anyone, but the teams were deployed 950 times to deter any violence to patients or caregivers.

There are three teams, with three dogs. McKenna’s dog, Sarge, was the first K-9 in a hospital in Washington state. Dex and Rocco, who is named after the Catholic saint who protected against the plague, are also on the team.

Sarge wore antlers and his ugly Christmas sweater on Wednesday. He looked less threatening than a typical workday.