Dog program at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital helps Choctaw middle schooler heal after accident

A dog program at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital is helping a Choctaw middle school student heal from a dirt bike collision, his mother told News 9 on Tuesday. 

The program, Paws for Purpose, consists of five golden retrievers helping children in the hospital with pain management, procedural support, outcome-based play, family support, and more. 

One of the dogs, Prince, started working with Caleb Brumley, a 13-year-old student after Caleb crashed head-on with his dad’s dirt bike last April. 

“My son flew 10 feet in the air,” said Lindsey Brumley, Caleb’s mom. 

Caleb broke his left arm and knee, in addition to a compound femur fracture. 

“The femoral artery was severed, so he was bleeding out quite a bit. My husband army crawled 30 yards to him; applied a tourniquet,” Lindsey recalled, adding that her husband saved her son’s life. 

Caleb is now relearning how to walk with the help of Paws for Purpose and a canine named ‘Prince’, his mother shared.

“I still struggle with fully bending my leg and running,” Caleb explained. 

His physical therapist Hailey Feland, who is Prince’s secondary handler, said, “Prince has gotten to help Caleb with his trauma and pain with his knee bending.” 

She explained that a lot of times, “it’s super stressful for patients, especially if they’re having a lot of pain or if they’ve had a lot of trauma, and so [Prince] helps me distract them.” 

Kelly Simmons, Manager for Pediatric Rehabilitation at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, said the dogs help kids cope with hospitalization. 

“Healing is essentially what we’re doing and it’s incredible to see the change in a kid’s face or a family space when they see that we get to interact with the dogs,” Simmons said. 

The dogs are helpful to patients and their families, Lindsey attested. 

“I know that he had a huge impact on Lindsey as she was trying to navigate the trauma of what was happening to her family. Prince was able to give her some comfort,” Simmons reflected. 

Because Caleb grew in the last year, he needs an additional operation, but he said he is looking forward to continuing recovery with Prince.

Paws for Purpose is looking at expanding its program. Click here to learn more.