Former foster dog Mae helping cancer patients at Ohio hospital

CLEVELAND, Ohio - From Milton, Georgia, to Atlanta, and now to Cleveland, Ohio.

Mae has experienced a lot in her 16 months on this earth.

Canine Assistants and FOX 5 foster dog Mae is now "Facility dog Mae" at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center.

Rev. Joanna Sowards, a chaplain at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, is Mae’s main handler at the hospital.

"Mae is incredible. I applied for Mae a year ago, and I met her just under a couple of months ago. Everything that I had hoped she would bring to Seidman has so far come to fruition," Sowards said,

According to the University Hospitals' website, there are only 150 facility dogs with highly specialized training working at hospitals across the country.

Mae is now one of them.  Her specialty is working with cancer patients as they undergo painful treatments. 

"There have been a couple of visits when my patients have been hurting, but they can see Mae's sweet face, and she has such a gentle spirit - that there's something about her that connects with them," Sowards said. "The healing presence that she brings is tremendous and such a gift and opportunity."

According to Sowards, Mae also plays a big role in staff morale. 

"For our staff, there's so much that they deal with. Just seeing Mae for a couple of minutes can be just enough to get them through their shift sometimes," she said.

While Mae may be thriving in Cleveland, it's safe to say that she'll never forget her FOX 5 family and all of her fans in Georgia.

Good Day Atlanta will be keeping in touch with her new handler who has promised to share video updates every few months.