Replicas of Ohio campus golden retrievers will tour the health system’s facilities in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and U.A.E., while taking followers behind-the-scenes in a social media campaign
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The healing spirit of two loyal Cleveland Clinic Children’s caregivers will be unleashed across the globe this December, as replicas of golden retrievers Kid and Trotter tour the health system’s facilities, highlighting medical breakthroughs, services that support patients and families, and expansion projects, while bringing attention to the clinical benefits of employing facility dogs.
Kid and Trotter are highly trained facility dogs that work in healthcare settings and perform specialized tasks. As full-time employees, they work at Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic Children’s facility, on main campus, supervised by Child Life specialist handlers. The dogs have a wide range of duties that help medical teams achieve their clinical goals, for example, by keeping children calm during medical interventions or providing an incentive for a child to get out of bed and take a walk.
Kid and Trotter play an invaluable role in supporting and comforting pediatric patients on a daily basis. The #PawsforJoy campaign celebrates the important work of these dogs while also highlighting new developments at Cleveland Clinic’s many locations around the world. The hope is the campaign will enable animal lovers of all ages to take a moment to pause for joy this festive season as they follow the daily adventures of these furry ambassadors on the @clevelandclinic Instagram account.
The lookalike stuffed toys will explore Cleveland Clinic locations in northeast Ohio; southeast Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. They will provide a behind-the-scenes view of these facilities, including discovering how Cleveland Clinic Children’s physicians use 3D-printing to plan surgeries on infant hearts and riding on a construction crane to get a bird’s eye view of Cleveland Clinic’s main campus transformation, which includes advancing care for patients with neurological conditions.
The dogs will soak up the sun at one of the aquatic therapy centers in Cleveland Clinic Florida, before hitting the ice with professional hockey players while visiting Cleveland Clinic Canada to meet sports medicine specialists. They will admire Buckingham Palace from the windows of Cleveland Clinic London and take a tour of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
Kid and Trotter were brought to Cleveland Clinic Children’s in 2019 through the support of the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation, which provided the grant enabling Cleveland Clinic to launch its permanent ‘Dogs for Joy’ program.
Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. Cleveland Clinic is consistently recognized in the U.S. and throughout the world for its expertise and care. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 77,000 employees worldwide are more than 5,658 salaried physicians and researchers, and 19,000 registered nurses and advanced practice providers, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic is a 6,699-bed health system that includes a 173-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 23 hospitals, more than 275 outpatient facilities, including locations in northeast Ohio; southeast Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and London, England. In 2022, there were 12.8 million outpatient encounters, 303,000 hospital admissions and observations, and 270,000 surgeries and procedures throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 185 countries. Visit us at clevelandclinic.org. Follow us at twitter.com/ClevelandClinic. News and resources available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.
Editor’s Note: Cleveland Clinic News Service is available to provide broadcast-quality interviews and B-roll upon request.
Cleveland Clinic Children’s is a part of the Cleveland Clinic health system and offers full medical, surgical and rehabilitative care for infants, children and adolescents. Cleveland Clinic Children’s supports 389 beds in four acute care hospitals and one post-acute specialty hospital. In addition, pediatric services are available at more than 50 outpatient clinic locations across Northeast Ohio. A staff of more than 400 full-time pediatricians and sub-specialists see 750,000 pediatric visits each year and provide hospital care for 13,000 children per year. Nationally ranked, Cleveland Clinic Children’s is a non-profit, multi-specialty academic medical center integrating clinical care, research, and education. Visit us online at www.clevelandclinic.org/childrens and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/clevelandclinicchildrens.
