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A Shoeless Boy in MidState Emergency Room: Canine Officer, and Canine, to the Rescue
August 03, 2020
A family in the MidState Medical Center Emergency Room was having a very bad day when Public Safety Officer Juan Casanova and his canine partner, Alaska, paid them a visit.
For the family, who wound up at MidState after a serious collision that destroyed their car, kindness and a little puppy love turned out to be the best medicine.
On May 25, Casanova, who goes by John, was at his post in the MidState Emergency Department when he overheard the technicians talking about a little boy whose sneakers had gotten lost somewhere between a crash on the highway and arrival at the hospital. Neither the boy, nor his parents, were seriously injured, but the boy had no shoes.
One of the techs had a son about the same age, so Casanova (above) asked her to estimate the patient’s shoe size. During his break, Casanova dashed to the mall across the street from the hospital and picked out a pair of red, white and blue Under Armour sneakers.
Casanova, an Air Force veteran, who will celebrate his one-year anniversary at MidState in October, is also the hospital’s canine officer. He and his Dutch Shepherd, Alaska, regularly help out on the Meriden campus. She’s especially useful when patients become hostile or combative.
Alaska knows many commands, including carrying and delivering packages using her mouth. When Casanova returned to the hospital with the sneakers, he asked Alaska to hold the bag while he gently knocked on the exam room door.
“I said I heard they were having a rough day. I said my canine Alaska has a surprise for you,’’ Casanova said. “She was holding the bag. I said the receipt is in the bag. If they’re the wrong size, I can run across the street and exchange them.’’
The boy and his parents were delighted. The sneakers fit perfectly, and little did Casanova know, they were the team colors of the boy’s favorite hockey team, the New York Rangers.
A few weeks later, a thank-you note arrived from the family, who live on Long Island, N.Y.
“There are not enough words to express our gratitude for your kind gesture. You truly made things better during an extremely stressful day,’’ the boy’s mother wrote.
Casanova, who lives in Southington, said he and his wife are deeply religious and helping those in need is part of their everyday life.
“Me and my family try to give and be the light in bad situations,’’ Casanova said.
At Hartford HealthCare, we call that making every moment matter.
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