The Hero Cat 'Head Dog': A Rottweiler's Secret Mission to Soothe Stressed-Out Hospital Workers

A medical student and her faithful Rottweiler are hand-delivering 'hero healing kits' to the doctors and nurses fighting COVID-19 on the front lines

Humans aren't the only ones feeling the sting of being sidelined. Therapy dogs—whose calendars are normally packed with nursing homes, hospitals, and schools—have had their routines put on ice during COVID-19. Dogtor Loki, a 2-year-old Rottweiler at the University of Maryland Medical Center, is one of those dogs. Before the pandemic, Loki visited Baltimore patients several times a week alongside his owner, medical student Caroline Benzel.

Caroline, a medical student when the outbreak struck, said she and Loki felt they had to do something for the doctors and nurses grinding away at the hospital.

She learned frontline staff were battling sore, chafed skin from wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) around the clock. Caroline and Dogtor Loki leapt into action, taking the cause to their Facebook and Instagram pages and gathering donations of personal-care goodies—lotion, Chapstick, gum, tea, and more—which Caroline assembles into what she calls "Hero Healing Kits."

To date, per Dogtor Loki's Facebook, a stunning 4,000 kits have been delivered to several hospitals. The kits are designed to hand exhausted medical professionals a little pocket of comfort during this grueling stretch.

Photo: Facebook — Loki the Therapy Rottweiler

It can feel impossible to know how to help right now. If Dogtor Loki and Caroline inspire you, you can donate directly through their Amazon Wish List, stocked with supplies for the Hero Healing Kits.

PupPals! A free way to brighten anyone's day—from a student stuck missing class to grocery-store workers and nurses—is to send them a puppy. Not a real one, of course, but a message from a pup via AKC's free PupPals program. You and your dog can even volunteer virtually. Learn more here.

Foster — If you're working from home and have time on your hands, consider fostering through a local rescue group. Besides giving a homeless dog real-world life skills about living in a home, fostering lets rescues gather crucial intel on a dog's behaviour to pair them with the perfect adopters. It also frees up shelter space so even more dogs can be saved!

Donate — Many shelters and rescue groups are running on shoestring staff and budgets. Check with your local organizations about donating dog food, toys, treats, and essentials like old towels. Plenty of humane societies now offer curbside drop-offs so you can donate while staying distanced—or contribute via Amazon Wishlist.

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Sassafras Lowrey is a Certified Trick Dog Instructor and author of "Tricks In The City," "Healing/Heeling," "Bedtime Stories For Rescue Dogs," and the activity book "Chew This Journal," out Summer 2020. Follow Sassafras and her canine adventures on Twitter/Instagram and at SassafrasLowrey.com

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