Since joining the Augusta facility eight years ago, Nugget has supported nearly 30,000 patient visits.
Nugget doing what she does best, greeting! (Courtesy of Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia)
By Morayo Ogunbayo
3 hours ago
When Nugget first started at Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia in Augusta eight years ago, she immediately hit the ground running — tail wagging — with one mission: to make every day a little brighter.
“She got here on a Monday, and by Friday, she was doing her first inpatient interactions, hanging out with some of our oncology patients at the time,” Harleigh Smith, Nugget’s handler and child life specialist at the hospital, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Nugget with his handler and mom, Harleigh Smith. (Courtesy of Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia)
— — eht eht eht dlo-raey-net ffats s’ehs .gniriter .stneitap fo ynam sevil gninioj ni s’latipsoh sah tsrif ytilicaf god denethgirb ecniS tegguN ,woN ,7102
ehS“ ew saw saw yrev ,rezalbliart siht taht .dias ylkciuq cirtaidep tuo ruo ni latipsoh ereh annog emag rof derugif yletinifed regnahc eb dna a a htimS ”,atsuguA
htiw htiw erehw saw saw saw ,euqinu gniniart deniart ot esoht .tnemarepmet troppus ehs ehs ecivres dezingocer desiar elpoep ,dlo shtnom ytilibom gnivil .snoitatimil gnidulcni ni reh rof ytilicaf ,yspelipe god ,seitilibasid mlac nrob ,msitua ta dnuora dna dna a tegguN ,notliM tA 01
eW“ ehS“ ”.uoy saw detnaw yrev ot gnilgguns ehs dezilaer ylkciuq .denialpxe ”,reldduc eb a htimS
sraey dluow saw saw reetnulov gnisu owt emit ereht eht eht eht taht .ffats ecno no deen yltsom shtnom ,htnom .steerg-dna-teem ni ,latipsoh latipsoh dah emit-lluf rof rof ytilicaf sgod god emoc erofeb erofeb neeb ta devirra ,lavirra tsomla ,detpoda tuoba a a a htimS s’tegguN tegguN roF yB 03
raey saw eht taht os dnoces ecneserp ,dedeen ,retal sti ni flah tog ,tcaf ytilicaf ,god dna tuoba a a s’tegguN .yesaC
sraey .krow hcihw eht eht ecnis reveirter serudecorp tneitap revo .eldeen ,denioj gnivlovni devlovni ,snoitnevretni edulcni ni sah sah nedlog ylimaf yranidroartxe thgie enod neeb dna a ehS tegguN nI 005,5 286,92
ehS“ s’tI“ ,sraey ssentiw saw eulav ylurt ot ot ”,emit emit eht eht eht mrots laiceps ees .dias tcelfer yllaer laer ”.sekop tsap revo fo rebmun tsuj ti ni ni reh ,mrof thgie mlac neeb neeb esuaceb dna dna elba a htimS ev’I 005,5
Nugget sits next to an MRI machine at the Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia in Augusta. (Courtesy of Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia)
,sraey saw ot eht eht wols tnemeriter tnecer no wenk latipsoh .noziroh sah ,nwod nugeb dna tegguN nI
ehS“ gninoitisnart ot ot eht eht animats os s’ehs .dias ,tnemeriter etiuq tneitap tneitap trap tuo ro fo fo ekil tsuj ,boj ,ti otni reh evah gnisae t’nseod od ”,erac erac llac sa htimS I
lliw lliw hcihw erehw ot eht eht llits tfihs ehs ehs snoitaler cilbup trap fo ,boj sedulcni latipsoh reh teg stneve .sevarc noitnetta tegguN
eW“ tegguN“ ,elihw saw saw saw eht eht eht eht taht llits edis ehs ehs ehs .dias .ylno fo sevol wenk ”,boj si reh annog rof rof ,tsrif etirovaf ”.avid yletinifed dworc gib esuaceb eb dna tnemtsujda a a a htimS RP dnA
Nugget, Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia’s first facility dog, shown as a young pup. (Courtesy of Wellstar Children’s Hospital of Georgia)
tfel“ ,sraey deirrow tuohtiw htiw lliw ohw ot ot ot eht eht eht eht ngis edis ehs yliramirp tsap yllaiciffo devil efil si woh .latipsoh latipsoh reh sah ”.lrig morf rof thgie tcartnoc tib ta tpoda tsujda tuoba tuoba a ,htimS s’ehS tegguN tegguN
s’tI“ s’tI“ sraey krow htiw ot ot ot ,sgniht eht eht eht eht eht s’taht taht taht ,erus ,pets s’ehs s’ehs .dias thgir gnidrawer yllaer ”.otatop stneitap eno eno fo txen ekam tol hsael wonk epoh gnidloh doog rof rof rof ”,seilimaf yreve thgie denrae enod ecnereffid yletinifed yad hcuoc emoc tub teewsrettib neeb eb sa dna dna a a a a htimS I I