This Valentine’s Day, Zilly Goes to 11
The Inn’s therapy dog turns 11 as The Inn celebrates her at its annual Valentine’s Day celebration
Over the decade that Zilly the therapy dog has been a part of the team at The Children’s Inn at NIH, she has brought untold amounts of love to the children, teens, and young adults who call The Inn home. She has been the playful-yet-gentle Valentine of thousands of children during that time as families gathered to celebrate the holiday that also happens to be Zilly’s birthday.
On Thursday, The Inn community gathered yet again to celebrate her 11th birthday at a party in The Inn’s community kitchen. Tables were set up with dog-themed treats, such as red and pink frosted cookies shaped like dog bones, as well as stickers and crafts about everyone’s favorite Australian Labradoodle.
“Nothing brings our families together quite like Zilly,” said The Inn’s Family Program Operations Manager Kristin Arabian, who helped organize the party. “She is such a welcoming presence for them and really helps make The Inn feel so much like ‘A Place Like Home.’”
Zilly arrived at The Inn just before her first birthday in 2015, and has served as The Inn’s certified therapy dog ever since. The hypoallergenic mix between a Labrador retriever and poodle has quickly created bonds with newcomers both young and old, providing a furry friend for anyone who might want one, whether they are visiting The Inn for a few hours or staying for several months.
Through her role as a certified therapy dog, Zilly also makes regular visits to families undergoing inpatient treatments at the NIH Clinical Center. Before her party, she took time to do that on Thursday, brightening the days of some of the children who aren’t yet able to leave the hospital.
Teen Ambassadors, middle and high school aged volunteers between the ages of 12-18, helped Arabian and The Inn’s programming team decorate for Valentine’s Day and Zilly’s party. They also interacted with the families in attendance, and provided one-on-one interaction with the kids as they worked on crafts such as cookie decorating and art projects themed around Zilly. The guest of honor was adorned with a birthday hat, but quickly shook it off and made her rounds nuzzling up to the children and volunteers who had come to celebrate her.
“Zilly’s birthday party is one of our favorite events of the year,” smiled Arabian. “She does so much all year to make The Inn such a welcoming place, and we love taking every opportunity we can to show her how much she is loved by everyone here at The Children’s Inn.”
