Holly the dog celebrates her last shift as Cuddle Manager at children's hospital

Holly's owner said she is going to put her paws up and relax now that she is retiring

Holly the dog has celebrated her last shift as the official Cuddle Manager at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool this week.

Holly is a Labrador Retriever, who has been visiting Alder Hey as a registered therapy dog for the last eight years.

Her job has been to give cuddles to tens of thousands of patients, families and staff at the hospital.

Monday 15 April marked her 500th trip to the hospital and the staff threw her a special retirement party to celebrate her work over the years.

Holly's identification badge

Holly and her owner Barry registered with the national charity, Pets as Therapy, after Barry noticed Holly had a gentle manner which meant she was a good fit for being a therapy dog.

Speaking about her last shift, Barry said: "It's a sad day in many ways, but this is our 500th visit, eight years in now, and I think the time has come for her to put her paws up and smell the biscuits!"

Nathan Askew, the Chief Nursing Officer at Alder Hey, said: "Holly makes a massive difference to the lives of the children and their families, but also the staff here at Alder Hey.

"She's always out and about, you see her in the atrium and everybody stops and says hello, I think she's probably the most famous person here! We have children and people that come back for repeat treatments, and they always ask if Holly is in today and if they can see her.

"So she just really helps people to relax, she puts people at ease, and gives people a little bit of normality while they're having their care and treatment."

Barry signed Holly up to be a therapy dog, after she proved to be a good fit due to her gentle nature

Holly has won a CBeebies Hero Award and even appeared in an episode of Operation Ouch!

She was also part of the hospital's volunteer team which received the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2022.

The hospital is also visited by other therapy dogs, including Bonnie the cocker spaniel.