LONG BRANCH, NJ – Monmouth Medical Center’s Pet Therapy Program welcomes the addition of Duncan, the 26-inch-tall 5-year-old miniature horse, and Moon Pie, the 32-inch 15-year-old Shetland pony. These new friends will support the program’s outside events.
Duncan has lived in town with the Emmons family for the past four years. He shares his backyard with his two goat buddies and Bonnie, a Great Dane. Duncan’s partnership with Shawn Emmons, a Robbinsville Police officer, was looking for a way to positively impact the community. Shawn and his wife, Karen, an occupational therapist, came up with the idea of using animal therapy as the way to do this. Duncan and Shawn became a certified pet therapy team a few years ago and have since been putting smiles on countless faces. In addition to participating in Monmouth Medical Center community events, they have visited schools, nursing homes, a special needs school, and a rehabilitation facility for children who have suffered from strokes, and the calls keep coming in for more visits. Duncan has become quite a little celebrity, showing up in local newspapers and on TV.
Just this past January, Duncan welcomed a new friend into his backyard, Moon Pie. Moon Pie spent his previous 14 years living in Tennessee with a couple who brought him to visit schools and children's camps. When his previous owner could no longer provide care for him he was turned over to an organization that finds Shetland ponies their forever homes. This past January, he was adopted by his new owner, Colleen. Moon Pie spent some time adjusting to the pine-scented New Jersey air and adjusting to life with his new family, including Duncan and his buddies. By March, he decided that he was tired of being left behind when Duncan had engagements. He followed right behind Duncan into the trailer and now they both bring smiles to everyone they meet.
Pet therapy has many healing effects on hospitalized children and their families. MMC’s program currently allows for a hospital volunteer and his or her certified dog to visit patients in The Unterberg Children’s Hospital, as well as adults in the inpatient and outpatient areas. On the inpatient Pediatric Unit, patients and their family can pet and interact with the dog in their room or playroom.
Each therapy dog and their owner go through extensive training and an orientation process. The therapy dogs are at least one year of age and have appropriate temperament and obedience skills. The dogs have their current vaccinations and license. The dogs visit patients, families, visitors and staff. Patients who do not want to participate in this program can inform their nurse.
“The MMC Pet Therapy Program is very excited to welcome Duncan and Moon Pie and would like to thank our dedicated pet therapy teams, who collectively provide more than 7,500 visits annually to our patients, visitors and staff, bringing smiles and comfort to all,” says Laura Siemientkowski, Manager of Volunteer Services at Monmouth.
To learn more about the Pet Therapy Program at Monmouth Medical Center, call 732.923.6670.
About Monmouth Medical Center
Located in Long Branch, N.J., Monmouth Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, along with The Unterberg Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center, is one of New Jersey's largest academic medical centers. From its earliest days, Monmouth Medical Center has been a leader in surgical advancement and has introduced many technological firsts to the region, including robotic surgery and other minimally invasive techniques. Monmouth Medical Center is the only hospital in Monmouth and Ocean counties to consistently receive an “A” Hospital Safety Score by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit organization of employer purchasers of health care and the nation’s leading experts on patient safety. It is one of eight New Jersey hospitals to receive a four-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the highest hospital rating in the state.
CONTACT: Elizabeth Brennan
(732) 923-5005
Elizabeth.Brennan@rwjbh.org