Columbus has a lot of celebrities that I get pretty excited about.
But let’s be real: not a single one of them is as adorable as Shiloh, a comfort dog at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center who has recently taken the internet by storm.
Shiloh had a meteoric rise to fame, after an MD at the hospital shared an image of him on social media.
My hospital hired an employee whose only job is to go around saying hi to other employees while they work pic.twitter.com/WWXNeEiWne
— Lady Cerebela, MD (@ladycerebela) November 20, 2020
Shiloh is a part of the Buckeye Paws Program at the hospital. The program offers comfort to hospital staff after high-stress situations. As healthcare workers continue to put their lives on the line in the fight with COVID-19, I can’t help but think that Shiloh and the other furry friends in the Buckeye Paws Program are doing some incredible work.
Buckeye Paws, is a therapy dog program for the faculty, staff and students, within the medical center’s Stress, Trauma and Resilience (STAR) Program. The dogs of Buckeye Paws are certified through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD), and the program follows ATD’s guidelines.
Shiloh is joined in his volunteer work by yellow Labrador Retriever Brienne, German Shepherd Ellie, and Radar, another Labrador Retriever.
Shiloh, one of our #BuckeyePaws pups, has become an Instagram sensation! Here's a behind-the-scenes shot of his pawfect pose for his #OSUWexMed ID badge photo. 🐶 ❤️ 😍 pic.twitter.com/2tZIuGyLbR
— The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (@OSUWexMed) November 28, 2020
The Buckeye Paws Program launched in March when front-line health care workers were feeling the initial mental, physical, and emotional strain of the COVID-19 pandemic. To learn more about the program, you can visit their website here.