'Companionship, compassion and joy' – therapy dogs give it to hospital patients

Hospital stays can be grim experiences, so a visit from a friendly Tibetan terrier was an unexpected treat for cardiology patient Marvin Stern.

“The dogs, they bring a kind of lightness,” the Huntley resident said while petting Toby, a therapy dog, in his room at Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin. “It brings up your spirits to have a dog come while you're recuperating.”

Sherman's therapy dog volunteer program, which will mark its 10th anniversary next summer, has been especially helpful to patients during the holidays, when people become depressed more easily, said Sherman Volunteer Services Manager Dina Lunceford.

“Patients are used to seeing people come in a lab coat and saying, 'We have to get your blood,' but with the dogs,” she said, “it's about bringing companionship, compassion and joy.”

Toby was among the first group of volunteers at Sherman and still visits patients twice a month with his owner, Robin Seigle of West Dundee. “I enjoy it, but he loves it,” Seigle said, “because he's getting all the attention for an hour or two.”

Dog therapy is common at suburban hospitals. Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, with about 85 volunteer teams, and Edward Hospital in Naperville, with 100 teams, are among the largest programs.

Kathy King, who manages the program at Northwest Community Hospital, said some patients are not keen on larger breeds, such as Rottweilers and German shepherds. “We temperament test them quite strictly, and we do refresher courses every other year to see how they are doing,” she said.

Interactions with therapy dogs can lower blood pressure and decrease the need for pain medication, said Cynthia Brooks, program administrator at Edward Hospital. “It's also good for family and for visitors,” she said. “It's quite a stress reliever.”

Therapy dogs bring benefits to hospital staff members as well, Sherman nurse Taneya Khalid said. “The patients, they start sharing stories about their own pets,” she said. “It helps patients with their stress, and it helps us, too, when the patients are less stressed.”

Patient Paul Gunderson of Elgin said it was wonderful to get a visit from Ellie, a Shetland sheepdog, and her owner, Wendy Waddick of Campton Hills. “No matter how hard you get it, you look at these guys here and they want to bring you back,” he said.

The visits can be emotional experiences, Waddick and Seigle said, as when they meet young patients with terminal illnesses. And the dogs can help bring uncommunicative patients out of their shells. “I love the therapy dog work,” Waddick said. “I like the connection with people.”

The Sherman program, also called animal-assisted therapy, features 14 therapy dogs of various ages and breeds including a golden retriever, a Siberian husky, a goldendoodle and more. No breed is barred, but there is extra caution with pit bulls, Lunceford said.

Another original therapy dog at Advocate Sherman Hospital was Houston, a golden retriever who was euthanized recently after being diagnosed with a cardiac tumor, said his owner, Mike Robins of Elgin. Robins' wife, Sue, decided to join the program at Sherman after her mother got visits from therapy dogs while she was sick.

“He made a lot of patients and staff as well feel great,” Robins said.

Therapy dogs must be certified via an accredited program and go through additional testing at the hospital to ensure they can handle visiting patients, Lunceford said. Last year, the dogs made about 5,000 visits to patients.

“We have to make sure they don't lick and don't jump, don't get distracted in the room and can walk on a loose leash in the hallway,” she said. “We also make sure the handler is a good fit, because the handler and the dog are a team.”

Dogs must adhere to strict health guidelines such as bathing before visits and getting annual immunizations and stool testing, Lunceford said. Dog handlers are required to get TB tests and flu shots.

It's not just about the dogs, but their owners, too, patient Stern said. “I think you have to give out credit to the two of them, because a dog is only as good as the owner that has him.”