Aug. 14, 2003

More dogs on call at VCU Medical Center

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By Michael Ford
University News Services

The number of certified therapy dogs approved to interact with patients at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center will increase dramatically now that a recent training and certification program has been completed.

Connie Knisely, Delta Society certified evaluator, reviews scores for Patti Dilzer, VCUHS decision support manager (left) and her dog, Bonzo, who were among 16 teams of volunteers and dogs that satisfied Delta Society Pet Partner certification requirements. Photo courtesy of Pat Peltier, VCUHS Volunteer Office
Connie Knisely, Delta Society certified evaluator, reviews scores for Patti Dilzer, VCUHS decision support manager (left) and her dog, Bonzo, who were among 16 teams of volunteers and dogs that satisfied Delta Society Pet Partner certification requirements. Photo courtesy of Pat Peltier, VCUHS Volunteer Office

The VCU Center for Human-Animal Interaction and VCU Medical Center’s Volunteer Program sponsored therapy training and certification for 16 volunteers and their dogs, increasing the number of appropriately trained dog-handler teams at the hospital to 20.

Currently, certified therapy dog-handler teams are visiting patients in several hospital units, including pediatrics, psychiatry and oncology. Formerly known as “Paws for Health,” the pet therapy program also has a new name, “Dogs on Call.”

“This is good news for our patients who benefit from visits with the certified therapy dogs,” said Sandra B. Barker, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and director of the Center for Human-Animal Interaction. “Our published research has documented the calming effect the dogs have on anxious patients and now we have the potential to reach more patients than before.”

Housed within the Department of Psychiatry, in the VCU School of Medicine, the VCU Center for Human-Animal Interaction is the only center of its kind based at a medical school. Faculty affiliated with the VCU Center for Human-Animal Interaction has published several studies documenting the health benefits of animal-assisted therapy for patients.

Recently completed two-day evaluations followed a day of Delta Society Pet Partner training in June, when volunteers learned about appropriate procedures for pet visitation in healthcare facilities and additional requirements for therapy dogs to become Delta Pet Partners, such as temperament and behavior.

The Delta Society Pet Partners Program is an internationally recognized therapy dog certification program to prepare volunteer owners to provide pet visitation and animal-assisted therapy in healthcare facilities.

The training program was funded by a grant from MCV Hospitals Auxiliary of the VCU Health System and a donation from the Virginia Kennel Club.