PUEBLO — Therapy dog "Maverick" the lab has one mission at UCHealth Parkview Hospital in Pueblo. It is to bring smiles and comfort to patients and staff.
"Pet therapy is great for anybody, but most importantly for our staff, who are very busy individuals," said nurse manager Ashley Sena.
Maverick knows just where to go to get treats from the nurses and staff on Sena's floor of the hospital. Every time he visits the floor he heads to the desk drawer where his dog treats from staff are kept.
His handler, volunteer and hospital chaplain Pastor Mike Marino, says he and Maverick have spent two-and-a-half years walking the halls at the hospital.
Mike Marino: As he grew, he learned what hallways to take. He knew what elevators we were taking.
Dianne Derby: This is his space.
Mike Marino: This is his home.
Dianne Derby: He knows where to go.
Mike Marino: He knows and he knows who spoils him.
Marino says the idea to partner with Maverick came in a dream.
"A person, I couldn't tell you who, male or female, somebody says, 'What is your dog's name?' And it kind of took me a second, and I looked down, and there's this big black lab sitting next to me."
That dream sent him on a search to find a black lab.
"I wanted a ministry partner," Marino said. "So I found English labs are the one of the best breeds for therapy dogs."
Marino took Maverick to obedience classes.
"Took him to another advanced class, and another one, and another one, and about halfway through this process, I'm thinking, 'Oh, I didn't sign on for this' and I can hear God laughing at me, going, You'll be fine'."
So far the duo has spent 640 hours in the hospital together and they're ready to handle the most difficult situations.
"I've been in the emergency room where there are trauma situations and it's ugly, and I mean life-and-death ugly," said Marino. "I'll park him outside of a trauma door and as they're coming in and out they're hugging on him. I can't train I didn't train him to do any of this."
Marino knows having Maverick by his side enables him to make an even greater impact.
"It's a calling, and because it was a calling for me, God provided me with the ministry partner," said Marino. "It's his calling, too. Look at him just sitting here. He's waiting for the next person to see. It's touching, because I can't do what he does."
Pastor Marino estimates Maverick has comforted more than 6000 people at the hospital over the last few years.
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