Hand in Paw volunteer Paul Chin-Lai and his therapy dog Macey on a recent visit with UAB Hospital staffers Megan Padilla and Paige Batson.By Anne Ruisi
Macey the golden retriever stretched out on the wide carpet in an office corridor at UAB Hospital and immediately perked up as nurse Paige Batson and office worker Megan Padilla arrived and started petting her.
“It’s probably one of the best things UAB provides for us,” Batson said. “Sometimes you come into work automatically stressed and this is a moment of reprieve.”
Lovingly described by her owner, Paul Chin-Lai, as “spoiled rotten,” Macey, who is 5 years old, is more than just a beloved pet. She’s one half of a Hand in Paw therapy team that regularly visits UAB Hospital to offer respite to employees.
“Even walking through the hospital, you see the look on people’s faces, the smiles on their faces when we walk by,” said Chin-Lai, 60, a Hoover resident who started volunteering with the nonprofit organization after he retired from a career in IT in 2020.
Hand in Paw, which is holding the fundraiser Mutt Strut, a dog-friendly 5K and Fun Run on April 22 in Homewood Park, seeks to improve people’s health and well-being through animal-assisted therapy. Teams like Macey and Chin-Lai visit hospitals, nursing homes and other facilities in Central Alabama and Tuscaloosa, where their presence can lift the spirits of patients and staff alike.
Animal therapy teams, which consist of mostly dogs and their human handlers, now include a few cats, said Brittany Filby, Hand in Paw’s communications director.
Chin-Lai and his wife, Linh, got Macey when she was just a puppy after their two daughters had grown up and moved out.
“Macey is our empty nest dog,” he said.
Macey and Chin-Lai’s visits to UAB Hospital are always with staff. Usually the pair will go into a conference room and staff will come in and pet Macey and any other dog that might be present.
On a recent weekday, Boyce Turner of Gardendale and his 10-year-old yellow lab, Bama, were present.
“It’s such a blessing to come out with a dog and cheer up people,” said Turner, who has retired after working at UAB as a dialysis technician. He noted that Bama alternates visits with his other dog, a chocolate lab named Bear.
Turner handed out his dogs’ Hand in Paw business cards designed with their color photos. These cards and others are tacked up in their office, and staff are so eager to interact with the animals that they mark their calendars for when Hand in Paw will be visiting, Padilla said.
“I think it’s great. You get to take 10-15 minutes to de-stress,” she said after rubbing Bama’s belly. “They bring so much joy.”
Chin-Lai and Macey make six one-hour visits a month between UAB Hospital and Children’s of Alabama, which is a new assignment for the team.
“I love it,” Chin-Lai said. “It offers a bit of a break for the parents and kids.”
Hand in Paw has about 80 animal therapy teams and always is looking for new animals and owners to join them, Filby said.
Each animal-handler team goes through screening and a training program before they start making visits, Filby said. That’s to ensure a dog’s personality is suited for this type of volunteer experience, including being calm and obedient.
Other requirements are that a prospective animal is mature, at least 2 years old, and the volunteer has owned it for at least six months, which gives them time to bond and connect. Dogs also have to have attended a group obedience class so they are comfortable in the presence of other dogs.
Go online to handandpaw.org/volunteer to learn more.
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