84 | HealthLinksSC.com ZELDA FOSTERS CHILDREN’S CARE AND TRUST The new Medical University of South Carolina Children’s Health employee walked into the clinic wearing her employee badge proudly. She had completed a rigorous education program and was confident and composed. Her colleagues welcomed her warmly and were excited to have her join the team. Her name is Zelda and she’s a beautiful black golden retriever. A hospital therapy dog in the Foster Care Clinic at MUSC, Zelda “can sense a person’s mood and knows exactly what that person needs at the time,” said her handler, Mollie Wharton Dadin, LISW-CP, a trauma-focused therapist. In addition to working together, Zelda lives in Dadin’s home as part of her family. “We are truly partners, not ‘master and pet,’” she said. The Foster Care Clinic, a program run by MUSC Children’s Health and the South Carolina Department of Social Services, cares for children in foster care or those displaced from their original home. By Lisa Wack
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