Rescue dog who brought joy to South Shields hospital…

Rescue dog who brought joy to South Shields hospital patients honoured with statue

A rescue dog who brought joy to hundreds of hospital patients in South Shields has been remembered with a statue in his honour.

Border Collie Tip was adopted by Jackie Mountain and her late husband Tom in 2013 and went on to become a Pets As Therapy (PAT) dog who regularly visited South Tyneside District Hospital to bring comfort to patients and staff.

He also proved to be a loyal companion to owner Tom by keeping up his spirits during his cancer battle before he sadly died in August 2019. Just months later, in December of that year, Tip also passed away.

Now a lasting tribute to the incredible pet has been created by artist Sheila Graber and sculptor Graham Bowes.

The life-size statue of Tip stands outside the hospital’s shop in the Ingham Wing, which is run by the League of Friends of South Tyneside District Hospital. The spot is close to where Jackie and Tip used to wait in the nearby café before they started calling into the wards and units.

'The statue of therapy dog Tip at South Tyneside District Hospital in South Shields. (Iain Buist/Newcastle Chronicle)

Jackie said: “When we rescued Tip in 2013, we thought he would make a good PAT dog and he passed his assessment.

“He met lots of patients and he even had his own uniform – even his coat is on the artwork. So many people will remember him from the hospital and he loved meeting the children and patients on all the wards.

“When I met Sheila Graber, I asked about making a statue of him and I wanted to put it in the reception at the Ingham Wing near the door to the shop, where I know people will see him.

“I love it, the nurses have said it’s him to a tee and if he was here in person he would be lapping it up because he loved attention. They’ve captured the way he looked when he thought he was going to get a treat.

“I hope he will continue to bring a smile to people’s faces and they’ll say ‘There’s Tip.’”

The statue was unveiled on Easter Sunday, April 9, the anniversary of the date when the Mountains adopted him.

Artist Sheila said: “Now it’s finished I think it’s amazing. When I saw it once Graham had finished I thought, ‘wow.' He caught that smile of Tip’s which I knew was really important and now it’s on its own plinth, I think it looks great."

Debra Hepburn, operational support lead at South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, said Tip's visits brought a huge amount of joy to staff and patients.

"We are delighted to have welcomed this addition to the hospital and a permanent reminder of the happiness he brought," she said.

"We hope it makes people smile and we know it recognises the difference they helped make together."

For more details about becoming a volunteer or an employee with the Trust can visit its recruitment page here.

READ NEXT:

Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.

Already a member? Sign in here