{"id":4167,"date":"2024-10-31T09:58:31","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T09:58:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/rmch\/alfie-the-pug-puts-his-paws-up-after-nearly-nine-years-supporting-children-in-hospital\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T15:34:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T15:34:16","slug":"alfie-the-pug-puts-his-paws-up-after-nearly-nine-years-supporting-children-in-hospital","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/rmch\/alfie-the-pug-puts-his-paws-up-after-nearly-nine-years-supporting-children-in-hospital\/","title":{"rendered":"Alfie the pug \u2018puts his paws up\u2019 after nearly nine years supporting children in hospital"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]<span data-contrast=\"auto\">One of Manchester\u2019s most beloved therapy dogs is ready to kick back and enjoy retirement \u00a0as he finishes his final shift at Royal Manchester Children\u2019s Hospital.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4172\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4172\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4172 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/Kathy-with-Alfie-scaled-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/Kathy-with-Alfie-scaled-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/Kathy-with-Alfie-scaled-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/Kathy-with-Alfie-scaled-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/Kathy-with-Alfie-scaled-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/Kathy-with-Alfie-scaled-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/Kathy-with-Alfie-scaled-60x40.jpg 60w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/Kathy-with-Alfie-scaled-680x453.jpg 680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4172\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alfie with MFT Chairman Kathy Cowell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Alfie has worked as a volunteer for the nationwide charity <a href=\"https:\/\/petsastherapy.org\/\">Pets as Therapy (PAT)<\/a> for nearly nine years and is one of many animals who are trained to provide comfort and friendly support to children and adults in stressful situations, including hospital stays. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Abigail Frechou was supported by Alfie during a stay in hospital. In June 2019, at just nine-years-old, she was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma in her right pelvis and had a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy at both Royal Manchester Children\u2019s Hospital and The Christie Hospital. During this difficult time, Alfie provided emotional support to her and brightened her days.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4169\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4169\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4169 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/abigil-and-alfie-scaled-300x295.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"295\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/abigil-and-alfie-scaled-300x295.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/abigil-and-alfie-scaled-1024x1006.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/abigil-and-alfie-scaled-768x755.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/abigil-and-alfie-scaled-1536x1510.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/abigil-and-alfie-scaled-2048x2013.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/abigil-and-alfie-scaled-60x60.jpg 60w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/abigil-and-alfie-scaled-680x668.jpg 680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4169\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Abigail with Alfie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Now 14, Abigail and her mother returned to the hospital to wish Alfie the best and give him a well-earned retirement present. Abigail\u2019s mum, Ellie, said: &#8220;It was so lovely to come back on site under better circumstances and see Alfie again. We wanted to say goodbye today because we have so many memories with him, and he played a huge part in helping Abigail while she was in hospital. We have dogs ourselves, so Alfie\u2019s visits gave Abigail a little piece of home\u201d. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">For over seven years, Alfie has worked at Royal Manchester Children\u2019s Hospital (RMCH) alongside his owner Suzy Emsden, a paediatric intensive care <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">transport consultant. She said: \u201c<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The great thing about Alfie is that he doesn\u2019t ask questions. He doesn\u2019t expect anything from you. <\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">We\u2019ve got children who are non-verbal and children who don\u2019t speak English as a first language, but everyone can understand the love of a dog&#8221;.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4168\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4168\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4168 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/Suzy-with-Alfie-tongue-out-scaled-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/Suzy-with-Alfie-tongue-out-scaled-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/Suzy-with-Alfie-tongue-out-scaled-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/Suzy-with-Alfie-tongue-out-scaled-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/Suzy-with-Alfie-tongue-out-scaled-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/Suzy-with-Alfie-tongue-out-scaled-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/Suzy-with-Alfie-tongue-out-scaled-60x40.jpg 60w, https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/app\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/10\/Suzy-with-Alfie-tongue-out-scaled-680x453.jpg 680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4168\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Owner, Suzy, with Alfie<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Kathy Cowell, Chairman at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, said: \u201cIt was an honour to attend Alfie\u2019s retirement party and see just how many lives that he has touched over the years. As one of our longest serving volunteers \u2013 nearly 50 dog years \u2013 he is an essential form of support for our patients at Royal Manchester Children\u2019s Hospital. Thank you to both Alfie and Suzy for their incredible service\u201d.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]One of Manchester\u2019s most beloved therapy dogs is ready to kick back and enjoy retirement \u00a0as he finishes his final shift at Royal Manchester Children\u2019s Hospital. Alfie has worked as a volunteer for the nationwide charity Pets as Therapy (PAT) for nearly nine years and is one of many animals who are trained to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":4177,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Alfie the pug \u2018puts his paws up\u2019 after nearly nine years supporting children in hospital - Royal Manchester Children&#039;s Hospital<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mft.nhs.uk\/rmch\/alfie-the-pug-puts-his-paws-up-after-nearly-nine-years-supporting-children-in-hospital\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alfie the pug \u2018puts his paws up\u2019 after nearly nine years supporting children in hospital - Royal Manchester Children&#039;s Hospital\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]One of Manchester\u2019s most beloved therapy dogs is ready to kick back and enjoy retirement \u00a0as he finishes his final shift at Royal Manchester Children\u2019s Hospital. 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