Five Pets That Comfort Novosibirsk Ambulance Workers After Hard Calls

In Novosibirsk, cats and dogs live at ambulance substations. Their important mission is to provide psychological relief for staff. More details were shared by the press service of the regional Ministry of Health.

Cat Koks

Koks appeared at the Pervomaiskaya substation two years ago. He was named that because of his black fur color.

Doctors came on shift and found a tiny kitten on the porch. No one knows where he came from: he came on his own or was abandoned. They decided to keep him.

«He is our positive vibe, an antidepressant for doctors. You understand, the work is hard. People get tired, and he is always here, rubbing against legs, meowing, going into arms 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, and some even half, so the substation is our home,« said Alexander Georgiev, head of the Pervomaiskaya ambulance substation.

Dog Enap

Enap is a medication that lowers blood pressure. A therapeutic dog, medics joke, who has been living with them for 15 years. He chose the substation as his home by running away from his previous owner.

«He came to us from neighbors in a private sector, a stray. Then the owner took him from here. And two days later the dog ran back to us. The owner came to take him, and he looked at him so unfriendly. Then the man decided, since he came to us, let him live here, why carry him away every day. So he stayed here with us,» told Alexander Georgiev.

Enap is a guard and «doorbell». He honestly does his job — alerts about the arrival of strangers. He barks but doesn«t bite.

Borya or Sonok

The cat now living at the Kirovskaya substation came from Donbas. He was brought to Novosibirsk by his former owner. He worked at a car service station next to the substation.

«He came to us two years ago, settled in. We felt sorry for the animal, fed him a little, and he moved in with us. At first he was skinny, now he»s plumped up. He«s probably doing well here,» said Ekaterina Khristenko, senior paramedic at the Kirovskaya ambulance substation.

The former owner called the cat Sonok, doctors gave him a second name — Borya. Now he responds to both nicknames. The cat doesn«t like dry food. Cottage cheese and liver are his preferences.

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

Dog Pirate

Pirate appeared at the Central substation 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.

«Pirate is quite cunning, loves to eat well and always begs something from someone. He sits on the main porch every morning, greets everyone. Rubs against people. 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, like all our employees, only at a veterinary clinic,» told Alexey Holm, head of the Central ambulance substation.

Dog Bonya

Everyone at the station tries to treat the four-legged «employees» — some with a homemade cutlet, some with a bone. Bonya and Pirate adore dog treats from the pet store. In return, they give medics their devotion and love.

«This creates a home-like atmosphere at work and relieves stress. We have very high responsibility for patients» lives and health. And this, of course, is psychological relief,« added Alexey Holm. »You come back from a difficult call, and here Pirate and Bonya approach, rub against you, it«s very pleasant.»

There are no sterility requirements for the rooms where paramedics and dispatchers work and rest, medical instruments and medicines are not stored there. The pets are vaccinated and sterilized.

Earlier, our colleagues told about the Siberian cat Ozzy, who lives in a music store. Read his story.