Introducing Shelby Hennick, a California-based veterinary technician who is 21 years old.
Three days ago, Dona, Hennick’s grandmother, was admitted to the hospital following a drug reaction.
Hennick revealed to BuzzFeed News that her mother thought about bringing Dona’s dog, Patsy, to visit her. “I just happened to be passing my grandma’s house when she called, so of course I was gonna do it,” Hennick stated.
Although service animals are permitted in hospitals, pets are typically not permitted due to the risk of infection to patients.
Hennick managed to sneak Patsy into the hospital by wrapping her in a blanket and acting like she was a baby.
Because the hospital staff remembered who they were, they just “walked by and waved at them” before heading into Dona’s room, Hennick said.
“Patsy was quiet the whole time and actually kept licking my arm,” she said.
According to Hennick, at first, her grandma believed she had brought in her sister’s child. Dona was taken aback when she placed Patsy on her lap.
Hennick recalled that about 13 years ago, when Patsy was just a few weeks old and required bottle-feeding, her grandma got her. A “pretty strong bond” has grown between the two, according to Hennick.
“Patsy kept crying and couldn’t get close enough,” she stated.
She says she had no clue it would receive so much attention when she tweeted about it.
Since then, 78,000 people have retweeted it.
People found it quite endearing.
Many posted pictures of themselves doing the same thing for their parents and grandparents, sometimes with nurses’ assistance.
“I was really happy we were able to pull it off, and I’m sure it made her day,” Hennick said. She added that Dona was doing better and went home from the hospital on Monday night.