UCLA People-Animal Connection
“The miracle of animals finding purpose and people finding healing is nothing short of a miracle,” believes Ellie Laks, founder of Gentle Barn and speaker during the People-Animal Connection luncheon. “After sitting here for the last two hours and hearing their stories, I feel so touched and honored to [...]
“I thought we were just going for a walk and he surprised me with this mini horse,” says Teresa Do, a first-time mother at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. “I’m at UCLA Health because I just gave birth to a baby girl five days ago and she’s in the neonatal [...]
“I like the horse, it was so cute. Blue Moon had a little braid and shoes,” says Margaret Siguenza, who was visiting Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for a dental appointment when she spotted miniature horse Blue Moon, a volunteer with UCLA People-Animal Connection. Margaret’s mother, Sandra Siguenza, not pictured, [...]
"My dad's a pediatrician and my mom is a physical therapist, so I grew up in hospitals," says Matt Elias, who has been volunteering with his 2-year-old French bulldog, Pierre, at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center for the past year as part of the UCLA People-Animal Connection program. "When I [...]
As the election season recedes and the holidays approach, this may be the perfect time to decompress and reflect within about ourselves and our nation. For me, the process starts with taking a fresh look at the candidates’ slogans. Whether it’s “Make America Great Again” or “Stronger Together,” the [...]
Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA is not going to the dogs. The dogs are going to the hospital. UCLA’s People-Animal Connection (PAC), the animal-assisted therapy program that provides critically ill children and adults with companionship and comfort [...]
Therapists at the Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA (RNPH) are getting excellent results with some innovative techniques — sitting, shaking hands, rolling over and allowing patients to scratch their bellies. Such methods come easily to these therapists, [...]
My name is Claudia. I've been a patient at UCLA since I was about 4 years old. I'm 21 almost 22. I've spent much of my childhood at the Mattel children's hospital. People always ask me how was it spending so much time at the hospital. I tell them it [...]
