Dressed-up puppies, babies bring joy to UPMC Washington

WASHINGTON, Pa. — Puppies and babies brought joy to a local hospital on Tuesday.

VetPets therapy dogs dressed in holiday outfits spent the day with patients, guests and staff at UPMC Washington.

Meanwhile, newborns in the hospital’s nursery got a holiday photo shoot while wearing gingerbread hats hand-crocheted by a volunteer.

Dressed-up puppies, babies bring joy to UPMC Washington

“The patients in the lobby, when they saw the dogs come in, were thrilled,” said Diane Heins, manager of public relations for UPMC Washington, UPMC Greene and UPMC Washington Physician’s Group. “And our holiday baby pictures are some of our most popular social media posts of the year. We get hundreds of interactions. We’re told that they bring smiles to faces not only of the families of the babies that get the pictures taken, but also just people in the community as well, and their families.”

Also, Washington Health System Foundation Executive Director Sara Schumacher said the foundation is partnering with VetPets to bring full-time therapy dogs to UPMC Washington and Greene.

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