paging dr. angus

Meet the furry new specialist treating kids at Texas Children's Hospital

Angus therapy dog Texas Children's Hospital West

Angus is bringing smiles and more to Katy patients.

Photo courtesy of Texas Children's Hospital

Dogs bring joy to life — be it mundane daily tasks, an especially stressful event, or a day at the park. But therapy dogs are truly a rare breed, as is the case with Angus, the new facility animal assigned to Texas Children’s Hospital — West Campus in Katy.

The two-year-old Labrador/golden retriever mix is the first assigned to serve at the west campus and joins the hospital’s five other facility dogs as part of Texas Children’s Pawsitive Play Program. That program is designed to enhance the emotional well-being of pediatric patients by reducing their anxiety, perception of pain, and fear of hospitalization, a release notes.

As is the case with therapy dogs, Angus has trained his whole life at Canine Companions in Houston and thus is ready to be deployed for pets, scratches, and laughs with the young patients. He underwent a two-year, extensive and specialized training program and learned over 40 commands, can walk safely on a leash near assistive or medical devices; pull toy wagons; retrieve all kinds of items; push drawers closed; and interact with patients in a calm and appropriate way.

Raised by volunteer puppy raisers in Colorado from 8 weeks old until about 20 months old, Angus then entered professional training in Dallas at Canine Companion's South Central Training Center.

“These dogs break down walls and barriers that a human can’t with our patients,” said Meg Gustafson, Child Life Specialist and Angus’ handler, in a statement. “Having the dogs around them gets them talking, helps them achieve their goals, gives us insight, and makes their time with us much more enjoyable.”

Angus has also been tasked with more serious therapeutic aid, specifically tasks such as assisting with patients’ motivation and rehabilitation, which can be trying for adults, let alone children.

“He loves getting in bed with kids and snuggling with them, but he’s also really good at motivating kids to get up and walk around after surgery,” Gustafson added. “We co-treated with physical therapy for a kid and it went phenomenal! After, when we were outside of the patient’s room, the physical therapist said ‘That was a completely different kid in there.’ It’s so exciting to see him doing such good work and knowing this is only the beginning!”

Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

undefined

Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”