HCA Florida Sarasota Doctors Hospital has a tradition of providing healthcare training to serve the community. On a typical day nursing students are doing clinical rotations, soon internal medicine residents will be at work and now the hospital is preparing a new breed of helper. This month, Skipper, a 13-week old black Labrador retriever started at the hospital. Skipper comes to the hospital from Southeastern Guide Dogs, a non-profit organization that breeds, raises, and trains guide dogs for the visually impaired and service dogs for veterans with PTSD, and is being raised by Chief Medical Officer, Jennifer Bocker, M.D. and Chief Operations Officer, Kelly Malloy. The hospital leaders take turns bringing Skipper to work and after work she goes home to live with them. Skipper is learning how to navigate in busy spaces such as hallways; commands like sit, walk, and stay; how to enter an elevator and how to deal with copious requests for puppy kisses from caregivers. “We work in a busy and stressful environment. Having Skipper here lightens our days. She is not visiting our patients, because she is a guide dog in training, but there are so many smiles when Skipper visits our caregivers. This is a great environment for her to learn socialization. She is very smart, loves tummy rubs and sleeping under our desks,” said Jennifer Bocker, M.D., Chief Medical Officer.  “Puppy raisers play an integral role in the lives of our dogs and even into the lives of the people who ultimately become their match,” said Leslie Shepard, Director of Puppy Raising Services of Southeastern Guide Dogs. “It is an incredibly rewarding experience and a great opportunity for co-workers, friends, or families to be a part of something that is meaningful, rewarding, and fun.” Skipper will live and train with the hospital leaders until she is 12-14 months old. The goal is for her to be a guide dog, service dog or skilled companion dog to assist people with vision loss, veterans or children.

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