The first time 5-year-old Calvin Owens went outside in more than a month, he met up with his canine friend Hadley on a hospital patio. Despite being tethered to equipment with wires and tubes, the little boy managed to stand up near his wheelchair long enough to toss her a ball.
He smiled as she ran to fetch it. Caregivers cheered.
“Look how good you’re doing!” said Hadley’s handler, Schellie Scott.
Such small victories and moments of joy are common whenever Hadley or one of the other three facility dogs at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital show up. These furry caregivers aren’t the typical therapy dogs volunteers bring to hospitals to comfort patients. They are specially trained, full-time working dogs that provide emotional support during stressful procedures, motivate kids to move around and make hospitals seem less scary. And experts say their ranks are growing at children’s hospitals across the nation.
A mounting body of research shows that even short interactions with facility dogs can improve children’s overall well-being, decrease the pain they feel and reduce signs of stress, like cortisol levels and blood pressure.
