Hospital holds retirement party for beloved dog, “he was that bright light”

WBZ

By Juli McDonald

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    Massachusetts (WBZ) — As bubbles drifted down across the hallway inside Newton-Wellesley Hospital Friday, health care workers were lifted up, filled with gratitude during a bittersweet goodbye.

Buddy, the hospital’s beloved facility dog, is heading into an early retirement after he was diagnosed with a neurological condition. WBZ first introduced you to this cutest coworker when he clocked in back in 2022. Buddy is different than a therapy dog; he’s worked full 40-hour weeks helping patients meet their care goals.

“My job is to make it easier to be here, mostly children, and Buddy is a tool in my toolbelt. But he was fortunate enough to work with the whole hospital,” said Candice Lavien, Buddy’s main handler who works as a child life specialist.

“I do a lot of psych evals in the ER with kids, with adults. A lot of them have trauma; a lot of them were very anxious about next steps. Buddy coming in, people just lit up. It was probably the most therapeutic thing we could offer for a lot of people,” explained Laura Willing, who works as a licensed clinical social worker.

Source of comfort to patients, staff

Buddy was hired to help provide care for patients, but he came during a time, when the Newton-Wellesley staff needed some care too.

“It was right after COVID; it just was such a tough time that everyone went through here. He was that bright light at the end of the tunnel. It was amazing,” recalled Jessica Mueller, another child life specialist who also worked closely with Buddy.

Buddy has been a constant source of calm and comfort. And now, that’s what he needs.

“Because of the medicines he’s on, he’s immunosuppressed. But also, his stamina; He wasn’t happy anymore, so we had to make that decision which was hard,” Lavien explained.

“He’s left an impact”

So hard… because loving this boy comes so easy. And staff members wouldn’t miss this sweet sendoff for their selfless Buddy, whose cut-short career was all about others.

“I think the amount of work he did in his short amount of time here is beyond amazing. He’s left an impact in so many lives,” Mueller said.

Buddy will continue to live with Lavien, who looks forward to happy beach days with the new retiree this summer. Newton-Wellesley Hospital will continue to provide pet therapy opportunities, but Buddy’s departure marks the end of this full-time facility pet position.

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