Hey Jude! Meet Wolfson Children's Hospital's first full-time facility dog

One of the newest health care workers at Wolfson Children's Hospital walked down a hallway in the respiratory unit, entered 5-year-old Nigel Ridgeway Jr.'s room, then, with permission, jumped on Nigel's bed and rested one furry paw atop the young patient's hand, as if to say: "I'm here. I'm your friend. You're safe."

Meet Jude, Wolfson's first "facility dog," a full-time member of the hospital's Family Support Services care team, although patients have been treated to canine visitors in the past.

Alongside human handler Kara Williams, Jude works 40 hours a week at work, with regular breaks for naps, playtime and outside bathroom visits.

The hospital has long had a volunteer group whose members bring dogs to visit patients, but Jude is different. He's there day in and day out, and he's been rigorously trained to comfort patients and families during an often stressful time.

Hospitals can be scary for young patients. That's where Jude comes in.

“Jude is that friendly face," Williams said. "When he walks into a room it’s instantly less scary, because you see a furry friend walking into the room.”

Jude is 2 years old and weighs 65 pounds. He's 75% Golden Retriever, 25% Lab and comes from a noble line of highly trained facility dogs (his full name is Jude VII and, after he retires, there will be a Jude VIII).

Fond of games, always ready to be petted and adored, he's also a bit of a goober, Williams notes fondly.

"When the vest comes off, he is such a goober and will run around," she said. "He loves playing fetch. So we can play fetch for hours and he won’t get tired.”

The vest is his work jacket, attached with his ID card and a photograph of Jude looking seriously at the camera.

It's an appropriate photo: When the vest is on and he's with a patient, Jude is indeed serious, Williams said, and he knows how to match his demeanor to the patient’s mood, which means he can go from calm and supportive all the way up to goofy and playful.

Whatever the child needs.

Facility dog training

Williams is 27, a child life specialist at Wolfson, there to support patients and families throughout their hospital stay. She was eager to work with a facility dog, so she stepped forward when supervisor Susan Kinnebrew, associate director of Family Support Services, brought up the idea.

When she worked at a hospital in California, Kinnebrew had seen a facility dog provided by a nonprofit, Canine Companions, at work and said she knew the program could benefit patients in Jacksonville. Other hospitals in Jacksonville also have forms of pet therapy.

Jude, who was born in California, has been a hit at Wolfson in the few months he's been there, Kinnebrew said. He even has an Instagram page and, so far, more than 300 followers.

Jude works in the hospital's respiratory unit alongside Williams. Kinnebrew expects other dogs from Canine Companions to be joining him in different units at the hospital in coming years.

Williams was the right person to take the lead in Jacksonville, Kinnebrew said. "It was really finding that individual who had that passion and who I knew was going to take it to the next level. She is that. She is the perfect fit."

During his training at Canine Companions, Jude went through medical and temperamental screenings and passed several skills exams.

Jude was matched with Williams during a two-week training session in Orlando after Williams had been on a waiting list for a year and a half. She knew right away that he was the dog for her.

“After I worked with Jude the first time, I was like, he’s mine," she said.

At the end of the work day, Jude goes home with Williams, who's responsible —financially and otherwise — for keeping him fed and exercised and healthy. The hospital has set up a website (go.baptistjax.com.Wolfieswoofpack) where people can donate to help with some of those expenses.

After he retires, he'll continue to live with Williams. She wouldn't have it any other way. "I call him my sidekick," she said.

What's next?

Jude knows some 40 commands and can play games with patients or, by picking up his leash in his mouth, help encourage them to walk. And, as Williams explains to them and their family about the next step in their care, he knows how to lean on a child, just so, to help keep them calm and reassured.

At the end of the day, Jude is usually still capable of being a playful goober, but he can be exhausted. “They're 40-hour work weeks, and Jude is working with me," Williams said. "It takes a lot out of him when we see patients. He can feel and sense the pain the patients are going through."

On a recent afternoon, Nigel Ridgeway was back at the hospital after another asthma attack but doing well after an overnight stay. It was a bad episode this time, said his father, also named Nigel, who had spent the night on a bed next to him.

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After climbing up on the hospital bed, Jude groaned happily as Nigel's father gave his fur a vigorous rub. Williams smiled: "And there's that gooberness coming out."

She gave 5-year-old Nigel a DC Super Friends comic book and a container of Play-Doh, as well as a little bubble blower. Jude seemed intrigued by the Play-Doh (could it be food?) and happy to watch the bubbles that Nigel blew land and pop on his snout.

Nigel has a small shih tzu at home named Yogi, so he's comfortable around dogs. “I think it gives him a lot more happiness knowing that they’ve got pets," his father said.

It's clear his son was enjoying the visit. “The only thing he had to do was watch his tablet and TV, so you all bring him [Jude] in, and he’s just all over it," his father said. "That’s all he’s focused on right now.”

After the visit with Nigel, Jude walked calmly back to Williams' office, where he was due for a rest. So he readily settled down on a dog bed behind her desk chair, though he didn't seem ready for a nap. Not quite yet.

Instead, he locked eyes with Williams, looking up as if to say: "What now? What's next?"

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville's Wolfson Children's Hospital adds its first dog to staff