'It's amazing for the kids': Meet Bella the therapy dog at UHL

The miniature schnauzer regularly does her rounds of the children's wards, offering the young patients chocolate treats in exchange for a few pets

Bella the therapy dog visiting Jasmine in the Caterpillar Ward at University Hospital Limerick. Picture: Dan Linehan

As she struts through UHL’s Children’s Ark in a festive jumper, Bella the therapy dog stops many times to greet young patients and their parents. A regular visitor, she keeps children company while they await results and rest after procedures.

Aged six and with her own social media channel, the miniature schnauzer has been visiting young inpatients and day patients in the Limerick hospital since her predecessor, Bonnie the Labrador, retired.

Trained at the registered voluntary charity Irish Therapy Dogs, the pup visits the paediatric Ark unit, where she sits by patients’ side to bring them the therapeutic benefits of canine companionship.

From the Caterpillar Ward to the Sunshine Ward, she makes her rounds and says hello to those awaiting diagnostic tests and to patients recovering from procedures.

With the help of her handler and owner Emma Hogan, she offers them chocolate treats in exchange for a few pets.

Bella with Dr Aisling O'Riordan, consultant pediatrician, and Kristina Buckley, senior play therapist, at University Hospital Limerick. 

Ms Hogan has been working in UHL for 21 years, in the respiratory inpatient service.

“It brightens their day, it’s different. I've been doing this about maybe 10 years. We’re visiting people in hospital or nursing homes. You see that they miss their pets and they talk about them. It’s something that I love for animals,” Ms Hogan told the Irish Examiner.

As there is a flu outbreak at the moment, Bella’s visits are dependent on the restrictions in place.

“It could be monthly, it could be weekly. It’s not so much weekly anymore with restrictions and isolation.” 

Only certain dogs can do it — they have to be very calm and good with people. Our other dog, Bonnie, used to come here. She retired from here and they had a big party for her. She died three years ago.

As Bella curls up at her feet, Ms Hogan adds: “She's very much a people’s dog. She wants to go where you go, she just wants to be with you.” 

After being stopped by hospital staff countless times, it’s time for Bella to clock in and make her way to the Caterpillar Ward, where children are having oncology shared care with Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin. The ward is also for patients requiring blood transfusions, diabetes care and other services.

Young Aidan Cordeiro with therapy dog Bella sharing a special moment on the Sunshine Ward.

One of these patients, Jasmin, will be turning 16 in a couple of days. She has never met a therapy dog before, but had seen videos of them on social media.

She is watching make-up tutorials on TikTok but puts her phone aside to greet Bella, who sits next to her, posing for a picture.

As Jasmin is getting a blood transfusion, she confides she likes dogs — but only “small ones”. This year, she would like an iPad for Christmas.

Orlaith McMahon, aged 13, is lying in bed, her mother sitting by her side. She has been in the hospital for two nights because of a painful tooth abscess.

She might have heard of the concept of a therapy dog before, but she was not expecting her visitor to be a miniature schnauzer. After all, Bella is not your “usual” therapy dog.

“I kind of expected like a golden retriever. But she's lovely,” she tells me.

Every Saturday, Orlaith goes horse riding in her native Offaly. This Christmas, she has a very specific request for Santa Claus.

Bella paying a special visit to Shannon on the Sunshine Ward.

“I asked for safety stirs for my horse and new riding boots. I have four horses — Luna is my main one that I ride. And I have Amber, Aria and Paul.

“If you put the trust in them, they'll trust you back,” she wisely advises.

In The children’s Ark school, teachers gather around the pup to snap a picture.

Grainne Moloney is sitting by a little boy who is eager to make hot chocolate when the “fabulous” Bella walks in. Ms Moloney is all smiles as she says she started working at UHL two months ago.

“ We have the classroom here on the ward and children who are well enough come down and we do a few hours of classroom with them.

“The children who are too unwell to come to the classroom, we bring activities to them and we might do some bedside sessions with them,” she explains.

Emma Hogan with her therapy dog Bella in the children's ark school with teachers, Olive, Grainne, Claire, Kathleen, Sarah, Pauleen and Sandra.

According to Ms Moloney, the in-hospital school means “so much” to the children and greatly helps with their recovery.

“It’s beneficial to come down and to make friends in the classroom. And, to be distracted really, I suppose from maybe what might be going on with them medically and the fun that they can have.

“We have a lot of very young people who are with us for a long time. We have a child with us at the moment who is 17 weeks in here,” she says.

The last stop on Bella’s tour is the Sunshine Ward, where children aged three to 16 get treatment.

This is the second time the pup pays a visit to young Aidan Cordeiro, aged 11, who doesn’t have a dog yet. He may ask Santa for one next year, although he thinks his dad may disagree. Wearing his Grinch jammies, Aidan thanks Bella’s owner as she hands him a box of chocolates.

This Christmas, he would like a Wolverine game, as he is a big fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — although his mother notes he has never seen the movie.

Speaking of the canine visitor, a visibly teary mum says softly: “Especially for kids, it’s amazing.”