Elf on the Shelf undergoes 'surgery' after dog attack

Hospital employee takes elf to work to calm daughter

ORLANDO, Fla. – A Cental Florida elf is back on the shelf after a big medical scare that led to a visit to the emergency room. 

Jenn Thelen says she was startled when she heard her 7-year-old daughter crying and screaming after their holiday elf, Sam, was attacked by the family's dog. 

Thelen, a nurse manager at Arnold Palmer Hospital, told her daughter that she would take the elf to work with her and allow the doctors to perform surgery. 

Once she arrived at the hospital, Thelen says Sam was rushed into a trauma bay, where hospital staff went to work. 

Thelen says the team used expired medical products and special Santa gloves to make the necessary repairs. 

 

 


About the Author

Cathleigh is a newscast producer and has been with News 6 since 2014. She graduated from the University of North Florida with a degree in communications, with a focus in broadcast journalism. Cathleigh produces the 5:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. newscasts.

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