By Nausicaa Chu
Super Boo might not look like your typical superhero. He prefers getting pets to defeating enemies. He is more fluffy than frightening. And he likes to finish off chicken tenders rather than criminals.
But the 185-pound Newfoundland dog has more in common with superheroes than one might assume. After all, who else could receive a hero’s welcome at Children’s of Alabama?
Families greet him in the parking lot. The nursing staff collect his ‘business cards.’ Children surround him, giving rubs and braiding his long, black-and-white fur.
Boo soaks in the attention with tail wags and smiles. He is used to the spotlight: as a therapy dog with Hand in Paw (HIP), a nonprofit animal-assisted therapy organization, Boo regularly comforts children and adults with his warm, steady presence. “He’s a celebrity around there. The kids love him; the staff loves him,” says Michael Hansen, Director of Advancement for HIP.
Boo has another important job ahead. Boo is the official face of Picasso Pets, Hand in Paw’s 24th annual fundraising gala. The position entails raising publicity for the event and greeting guests—something that the big dog is very good at. “He’s a big draw, so if we go to some other events and set up a table or tent, he will bring people to us,” says Hansen.
Boo is also a budding social media influencer. His happy smile and giant presence have racked up hundreds of likes on Hand in Paw’s Instagram page. But while Boo seems like he was made for this, his superhero journey was unexpected.
“It really just came about,” says his owner, Dr. Joe Jolly, a pediatrician at Children’s. “I’ve been aware of Hand in Paw for many years, but with our dogs, we just never had any that were quite the temperament.”
That changed after Jolly got Boo as a puppy in 2021. “From the beginning, he was a very sedate, calm, chilled-out dog who was sort of the caregiver for a lot of the other dogs in the house,” says Jolly. “If there was too much chaos going on, the little dogs all kind of flock around him.”
After watching his interactions in public, Jolly realized that Boo would make a good therapy dog. “He attracted a lot of attention just due to his size, especially around children. He was a natural with them. He was very gentle with them and would let them come up to him and rough house with him and pet him,” says Jolly.
Boo works in the lobby of the Harbor Family Center, located within Children’s of Alabama that supports the families of seriously ill children. He is also a regular visitor to the hospital’s outpatient clinics, the Jefferson County Family Court and Inverness Elementary School. “He very much enjoys it. He’s excited when it’s time to go on a visit,” says Jolly.
One day, Boo calmed a young girl with sensory difficulties who was disturbed by loud noises. Another time, he stole the show at a reading session with a young boy who seemed more interested in Boo than in the book.
If being a therapy dog is his day job, Boo also has a night job to look forward to. On August 23, Boo will shed the yellow bandana of a therapy dog for the cape and mask of a super-dog, transforming into Super Boo.
Jolly won the opportunity for Boo to be the Face of Picasso Pets at the previous gala’s live auction. He also selected the theme of the night, “Paws of Valor.”
Jolly wanted to honor HIP’s contributions to healthcare. “I see the work that the Hand in Paw staff and volunteers do as very much the work of superheroes in their community, because they truly do work miracles with the people that they visit on a day-to-day basis,” says Jolly.
The gala will feature artwork by local artists that incorporates the pawprints of dogs, ranging from chihuahuas to 150-pound canines. It also has a wine pull, silent and live auctions and a parade of HIP Therapy Teams. The Renal Care Center at Children’s of Alabama will receive the Tweety Lasker Program Partner Award, recognizing an outstanding program partner. “I am deeply honored to support an organization that harnesses the incredible bond between people and animals to bring comfort, healing and connection to those in need,” says HIP Board President Laura Needham, also the Division Director of Inpatient Nursing Services at Children’s of Alabama.
After the gala, Boo and Jolly have no plans to pause their busy schedule. The team is being certified to work at UAB. Boo will also be featured in an illustrated children’s book about his hospital adventures called Boo’s Special Day, with proceeds going to HIP.
Super Boo might not look like your typical superhero. But it turns out, being a lover of rubs, curator of fluff and connoisseur of chicken tenders makes for a joyful, patient therapy dog.
What could be more heroic than that?
