The spunky one-year-old West Highland Terrier mix  called Mr. Bean was a former Wayside Waif. Now he is known as “Concierge Extraordinaire” by the staff and guests of Ronald McDonald House-Kansas City.

As the new house dog and official mascot of the Longfellow House, the Wayside Waifs rescue dog is coming to the rescue of a hundreds of sick children and their families while the children undergo medical treatment at Children’s Mercy Hospital.

Making A Difference
“Dogs are very healing, and Mr. Bean is providing comfort, love and support to children and their families during their stay at Ronald McDonald House,” said Cynthia Smith, President of Wayside Waifs.

And after just a few weeks in residence, Mr. Bean is already making a difference. “Just the other day one little girl came back home after her cancer treatment,” said Anne Dykes, RMH-KC’s Major Gifts Officer. “She was obviously not feeling well, so Mr. Bean wagged his tail triple speed for her. She then smiled!”

A Special Friendly Dog
The staff of Ronald McDonald House had been considering a house dog for some time. A Wayside Waifs board member got wind of the idea and encouraged them to consider adopting a dog from Wayside Waifs.

The staff of both organizations met to outline the unique needs of Ronald McDonald House and the families it serves. Together, they determined a small, friendly dog that loves children and adults would be best. They also hoped the dog would already be housebroken.

A few weeks later, Mr. Bean entered Wayside Waifs. His owner made the difficult decision to surrender him for adoption because she was traveling frequently for work. Wayside staff quickly identified Mr. Bean as a candidate for Ronald McDonald House.

“Mr. Bean met all of the canine criteria and we knew he would be the perfect match for them,” said Smith.

Adoption Day!
A few days later, both organizations made the adoption official, to the delight of several children and their parents. Staff members of both Wayside and Ronald McDonald House were in tears as Mr. Bean hopped in the lap of a young cancer patient. Her face lit up as he sweetly licked her hand.

“Mr. Bean has made a wonderful addition to our team Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City,” said Holly Buckendahl, Executive Director of RMH-KC. “Many of our guest families have pets of their own, and deeply miss them when they are far from home in the midst of medical crisis.”

Wayside Waifs donated Mr. Bean to Ronald McDonald House and will provide continuing veterinary care and training support. The staff of RMH-KC plans to train Mr. Bean as a therapy dog and he will serve as an important programming component for the organization.

“After a long day of greeting people at the door, the welcome mat in front of the door becomes his napping place as well,” said Dykes. “We figure he doesn’t want to miss one opportunity to greet the children.”

Ashlee Parker is the Communications Manager at Wayside Waifs. Before pursuing her passion in animal welfare, she worked as television news producer at TV stations in Kansas City and across the country. Ashlee is the proud pet parent of Truman the Miniature Schnauzer and Gretzky the Scottish Fold. Ashlee can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .