Lovable furry dog makes rounds at Marian Regional Medical Center

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Making hospital rounds these day gets a lot of attention for one of Marian Regional Medical Center's most popular volunteers.

Her name is Indie.

During the pandemic, she had to stay away.

But now, along with owner Trish Phipps, she's once again a big boost to a medical team exhausted from the ravages of COVID-19.

"…it lightens our day it’s super fun to have the dog come in it definitely cheers us up when things get really busy and hectic," said registered nurse Christen Zybura at Marian Regional Medical Center.

Indie makes her way around to almost every department in the hospital.

"… a staff person sees her … they come literally running up … get down on the floor and give her a hug and say … god i needed this today … so it is extremely valuable right now," said owner Trish Phipps of Indie.

Staff member say anyone who gets in contact with Indie pretty much falls in love with her.

"... almost run to the dogs to get some kind of love from the dog it brings them a little bit of peace it brings them a little bit of just normalcy to their day," said volunteer services manager Colleen Twomey at Marian Regional Medical Center.

Indie’s owner says she has something special that can’t be taught.

"She was born with a very calm temperament ... nothing bothers her other dogs her best friend is a cat at home," said Phipps.

When she's not making her rounds at the hospital, her owner says Indy enjoys taking long romantic walks on the beach.