Mayo Clinic Announces Beanie Baby Plush Toy Depicting Dr. Jack the Helping Dog

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Mayo Clinic announces the sale of a Beanie Baby plush toy depicting Dr. Jack, canine hero of the recently published children's book, Let's Visit Mayo Clinic with Dr. Jack the Helping Dog.

The book and Beanie Baby are based on a miniature pinscher named Jack who works as a Facility Based Service Dog at Mayo Clinic. The real Jack has helped more than 2,000 patients at Mayo.

Like the book, the Dr. Jack Beanie Baby is sold exclusively at Mayo Clinic retail sites at Mayo's locations in Rochester, Minn., Jacksonville, Fla., and Scottsdale and Phoenix, Ariz.

Dr. Jack joins a famous collection of cause-related Beanie Babies, which have raised millions of dollars for diverse charities. Proceeds from the sale of the Dr. Jack Beanie Baby will support Mayo Clinic's not-for-profit programs in patient care, research and education.

The Dr. Jack Beanie Baby is a gift from Ty Warner, founder of Ty, Inc., the world leader in plush toys. Warner purchased a copy of the book and offered to have his team create a custom-designed version of Dr. Jack, based on illustrations in the book — complete with a red service vest and Mayo Clinic logo on his dog tag.

Let's Visit Mayo Clinic with Dr. Jack the Helping Dog was published in May and is in its third printing. The hardcover book has received extensive international publicity, especially in Central and South America. It includes a foreword by Barbara Bush, a biography of the real Jack and an essay on the healing dimension of pets.

To order from off campus, contact The Mayo Store:

Telephone: 507-266-3320
Email: MCGIFTSHOP@mayo.edu

The book and plush toy also will be sold online at the Mayo Clinic Bookstore beginning in January.

For more information, contact Matt Dacy, Mayo Clinic Department of Development:
507-284-8421
dacy.matthew@mayo.edu.

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