One of the furriest volunteers at a Winnipeg hospital is hanging up his leash after years of keeping patients company.

Rusty the dog was well known at St. Boniface Hospital for greeting patients and visitors while wearing a pair of glasses.

Rusty's owners, George Ames and his wife, adopted the dog when he was almost two. Together, Rusty and George volunteered over 2,000 hours of their time.

Ames says that Rusty gave him a unique opportunity to care for people going through difficult circumstances.

"Rusty gives me the opportunity to talk to people I otherwise wouldn't. Patients who are dying or new parents who are taking their baby home for the first time. I've seen people in their last days and weeks and talked with them about life and without Rusty, I wouldn't have been able to do that."

The St. Boniface Hospital Foundation says that Rusty was a great volunteer.

"Rusty and his trusty owner George Ames will be greatly missed - together, they clocked in more than 2,000 volunteer hours at the Hospital, bringing comfort and smiles to so many of us! We wish Rusty all the very best in his retirement," the foundation says in a statement online.