Dorian Brings Smiles to Golisano

Dorian loves meeting new friends at Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida.

Recently, Dorian met a new pal in the pediatric intensive care unit, and he was excited to snuggle and spend time making his patient smile.

During her stay, Dorian’s new friend made a fleece pillow, and Dorian quickly took a liking to it. After Dorian taught his new friend about getting an MRI and spending some time playing and cuddling, she decided to give Dorian a special gift — his new favorite pillow!

Since then, he has been using his pillow when he takes a little down time throughout his busy work day.

Dorian, the hardest-working and only full-time canine employee at Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida, joined the staff in November 2019.

His main duties are to distract and comfort children who are ill or receiving treatment and to provide relief in times that might otherwise be sad or depressing.

He also offers ambulatory support for children who are unsteady on their feet.

If you feel that your child would benefit from Dorian’s support during their healthcare experience, please contact the child life specialist on your unit.

You can follow Dorian’s adventures on Instagram by following @dorian_thedoodle!

If you would like to share your story, please reach out to [email protected]