Crumlin Children’s Hospital introduce new initiative that brings pets to patients

What a fantastic idea!

Following on from the heartbreaking death of their teenage son Cian, the Neary family are working on an initiative that would allow patients visits from their pets. The construction will begin this month on a pet visiting facility in the grounds of CHI Crumlin hospital in Dublin. Families wanting to take part in the initiative can contact Cian's Kennels, which then has the animals checked by vets to ensure they are up to date with vaccinations. The Cian's Kennels charity will then pick up the pets and transports them to Crumlin Hospital, where the children will be able to have visits from the pets on an appointment basis. The animals will then return to the local Dublin Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) facility, where they will be boarded overnight. Speaking on why her family wanted to start the Cian's Kennels charity partnership with Crumlin Hospital Ms Neary said;

“For me, I can’t wait for the day that I walk into a ward and say to a child ‘We’ve got a surprise. Your dog is here.’ Because that’s what happened with Cian. I do love the idea that in years to come, his name will still be mentioned up there at the hospital. That’s really important to me. That he’s not forgotten.”

Cian sadly passed away in 2019 after a battle with a rare form of cancer at the age of only 14. Work on the €100,000 visiting facility starts at the hospital on Monday, and will take six to eight weeks to complete. It will include specially designed holding kennels for pets, complete with a seating area for families, an indoor and outdoor area for pets. Any parents looking for more information on the initiative can visit the Cian's Kennels website here.