INDIANAPOLIS -- Being a patient at a hospital, you expect to get frequent visits from doctors, nurses and even family and friends. But at Eskenazi Health in downtown Indianapolis, some of the visitors are a little more furry.
Luna, Angus and Gus are three of the pet therapy dogs that roam the hospital on a regular basis. Giving out free kisses and tail wags are just two of their important duties.
The program started back in 2008 with only one dog. The hospital now has 12 dogs who regularly volunteer with their owners to visit patients and help spread hope in a sometimes dark place.
“You see the eyes light up, the smile begin, and I hear all the time, you made my day.”
Shelly Fisher is the Pet Therapy Coordinator at Eskenazi. She believes the dogs have a very important role interacting with the patients.
“Our dogs go to patient rooms, visit patient rooms, comfort them, and just make their day basically. Then they are also going to start doing more physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy. Some of our dogs actually participate in autistic groups," said Fisher.
Whether it’s petting to take away some stress or a conversation with the owners, Luna, Gus, Angus and all of the other therapy dogs are creating a little light in what can sometimes be a dark place.
“You know, to keep going with their day because it’s tough sometimes what they are doing. Again, it’s for the staff, patients and visitors," said Fisher.
The hospital is looking for more volunteers to help with outreach at their off-site clinics. To become a therapy dog volunteer in this program your dog must be at least a year old. They must also complete classes to become a certified therapy dog.
