PAWS AND EFFECT
By Rachel S. Peters Photos by Ralph Lauer
Maybe there is something to the healing power of a good dog: Just ask his young fans at Ronald McDonald House.
When he walks in the door, his hypoallergenic coat is perfectly coiffed and spritzed, and the faint scent of Bleu de Chanel wafts through the air. The ladies love him, but he commands attention from everyone wherever he goes. For Mac, the resident dog at Ronald McDonald House, it’s all in a day’s work.
Officially titled “Director of Love and Comfort,” the 4-year-old Australian Labradoodle (his full name is McLovin’) came to the Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth in 2010. He offers a comforting paw to families and children dealing with the stress and complications of life-threatening illnesses.
Mac is not the first four-legged RMH staffer. Lone Star Labradoodles, based in The Woodlands, Texas, had provided the Ronald McDonald Houses of Houston and Charleston, South Carolina, with a canine companion, and executives at the Fort Worth operation caught wind of the successful placement. Calls were placed and plans were made for RMHFW to adopt its own furry friend, but then tragedy struck the Lone Star Labradoodles group as the owner’s 19-year-old son passed away from cancer. In a touching gesture, they gave Mac to the Fort Worth house in his memory.
Mac has made Lone Star Labradoodles proud. Although not a registered therapy dog, he stays at the house five days a week during business hours and is often the first face new guests see when checking in. At night and on weekends, he lives with Alicia Jenkins, director of development for RMHFW but, during the workweek, he is ever the obedient servant to all house needs. Mac has no formal training. “It’s all to do with his disposition,” notes Alicia. “He knows his mission.”
One mission in particular has been to comfort 15-year-old Desiree Smith during her cancer treatment and remission. Diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 13, the Abilene native has been a guest at the RMHFW since her first bone-marrow transplant two years ago. She loves Mac, and the feeling is mutual. Desiree’s mother, Rebecca Martinez, can see the difference Mac makes in her daughter. “He’s Desiree’s favorite thing about staying here,” she says, adding that it’s not uncommon to find the two snuggled up together in bed, with Mac placing a loving paw around Desiree.
Mac also searches out hugs and table scraps while he patrols the 58-room addition to the RMHFW. The much- needed wing officially opened in August of last year and, because of the extra space, the RMHFW can provide accommodations to any family regardless of where they live (previous 
requirements dictated that families be outside a 40-mile radius) for as long as 90 days per visit. On any given day, the house is usually 85 to 90 percent full.
Alicia says the Ronald McDonald House will continue to expand and plans to add a new kitchen and dining room later in 2014. Mac will be there, ready for an impromptu tour or playdate. “When we go home, Mac acts like a typical dog and cuts loose,” says Alicia. “But, at the Ronald McDonald House, he’s focused and ready for action. He really is one of our hardest-working employees.”
When Kristian White opens her peepers this Christmas morning, she’s going to check on her presents and her family and Mogie, in no particular order. Same with Jack Sanchez. What will be important to him are presents, his big brother and Mogie.
Meet Mogie, a floppy-eared Australian Labradoodle and the newest member of the 
