Retirement Party Held for Therapy Dog at Doctors Medical Center

It was a very special day at Doctors Medical Center in honor of National Therapy Animal Day!

One of our longtime Service League volunteers, Geri Azevedo, has been bringing her sweet therapy dog Tassy to Doctors Medical Center for more than eight years. Over that time, Tassy’s gentle nature has brought joy and solace to so many within the walls of our hospital – patients, visitors and our employees. Although Geri will continue as a volunteer with us, 12-year-old Tassy will be enjoying the sweet peace of retirement at home.

On April 30, 2021, we honored Tassy by giving her a “Code Sun” celebratory walk and a retirement paw-ty as she officially passed the bone to our current service dog, Bria. Bria is a certified facility dog with Canine Companions for Independence who makes her way around the hospital visiting patients, visitors and employees with our Chaplain Jeremy Brown.

During a “Code Sun” walk at Doctors Medical Center, employees line the hallways to cheer and clap. This is our way of celebrating the discharge of a patient who has spent more than 30 days in the hospital or a patient who successfully fought through a grueling illness or treatment. We also use these walks as celebrations for other purposes, like thanking Tassy and Geri for their invaluable service to our hospital. We will miss Tassy but we wish her all the snuggles and treats in her retirement!

It’s well-known, and scientifically proven, that interaction with a gentle, friendly pet can have significant benefits.