'Antidepressant for Doctors': Cats and Dogs at Novosibirsk Ambulance Stations

Cats and dogs live at ambulance stations in Novosibirsk. They have an important mission—psychological relief for staff. This was reported by the regional Ministry of Health.

Usually, such animals are not intentionally acquired; pets come on their own and settle in. The Ministry of Health talked about the pets and showed their photos.

«At the Pervomayskaya station, a dog nicknamed Enap and a cat named Kox have been living for several years. Kox—because he«s black, Enap—a medication that lowers blood pressure. A therapeutic dog, medics joke, has been living with them for 15 years. He chose the station as his home himself, after running away from his previous owner,» the Ministry of Health explained.

Alexander Georgiev, head of the Pervomayskaya ambulance station, said that the cat appeared two years ago.

«No one knows where he came from. We decided to keep him. He«s our positivity booster, an antidepressant for doctors. You understand, the work is hard. People get tired, and he»s always here, rubbing against legs, meowing, coming onto hands to be petted. It«s very pleasant for everyone to chat with him a bit, relieve stress, relax. A living soul, the talisman of our home. We spend a third of our lives here, some even half, so the station is our home.»

The cat currently living at the Kirovskaya station is a refugee from Donbas. He came to Novosibirsk with his former owner, who worked at a car service station next to the station.

«He was probably scared there. Maybe mistreated. He came to us two years ago, settled in. We felt sorry for the animal, fed him a bit, and he «moved in» with us. At first, he was skinny, now he«s fattened up. He»s probably happy here,» said Yekaterina Khristenko, senior paramedic at the Kirovskaya ambulance station.

His previous owner called the cat Synok, the doctors gave him a second name—Borya. Now he responds to both names.

«We have a cleaner for the service rooms. She«s his love, so to speak. She comes to work, he follows her. At night in the dispatch room, he »works« with the girls—calming nerves. Doctors come back tired from calls, chat with the cat—and feel better. He meows, asks for attention, a very talkative fellow of ours,» concluded Yekaterina Khristenko.

The dog Pirat appeared at the Central station six years ago—on Medical Worker«s Day, he followed an ambulance crew on the street. A year later, the dog brought a girlfriend to his new home, named Bonya. The dogs sleep in a warm garage during the day and roam the station grounds.

«Pirat is quite cunning, loves to eat well and always begs for something from someone. Every morning he sits on the main porch, greets everyone. He fawns. Bonya is more modest, behaves quietly. They are very kind. They have never barked at anyone. They have never bitten anyone. The dogs are fully vaccinated, they regularly undergo medical check-ups, just like all our employees, only at a veterinary clinic,» said Alexey Golm, head of the Central ambulance station.

Everyone at the station tries to treat the four-legged «employees», some with a homemade cutlet, others with a bone.

«It creates a homey atmosphere at work and relieves stress. We have a very high responsibility for patients« lives and health. And this, of course, is psychological relief. You come back from a difficult call, and here come Pirat and Bonya, they fawn, it»s very pleasant,» added Alexey Golm.

Earlier, we showed how a day goes at one of the oldest shelters for dogs in Novosibirsk, where 188 animals live.