Two facility dogs make regular rounds at HCA HealthONE Rose Medical Center in Denver, slipping into nurses’ stations and break rooms to relieve stress for staff and comfort patients. Interacting with therapy dogs has been associated in multiple studies with reductions in stress and anxiety, and in some settings with reduced depression symptoms, contributing to a more positive atmosphere for both staff and patients.

The visits matter to clinicians who face high-pressure shifts: a pair of dogs, tails wagging, once stopped by a nearby nursing station and caused about a dozen medical professionals to “melt into a collective puddle of affection,” staff said, a small but clear pause from the hospital’s usual pace. Canine Companions provided training for the animals, who are integrated into routines intended to support both caregivers and patients. The psychological benefits of therapy dogs extend to improving overall mood and promoting relaxation, and some studies report reductions in physiological stress markers such as cortisol in people who interact with them.

Peppi, a Labrador, and Ralphie, a black Lab-retriever mix brought to the hospital by Casey Guber, are both described as working at the hospital as facility dogs. Staff handlers pair the animals with clinical teams and bring them to high-stress areas on request, where brief interactions can redirect attention and calm emotions. These therapy dog programs, while not universal, are increasingly common across U.S. hospitals, with many centers recognizing their therapeutic value.

“Anything that brings you back to the present time helps ground you again. A dog can be that calming influence,” said Susan Ryan, an emergency medicine physician, describing how even short visits change the tone of a shift. Implementing such programs involves best practices, including developing clear policies for infection control and ensuring that therapy dogs are healthy, well-groomed, and temperamentally suitable for interactions.

Clinicians and leaders at the hospital said the dogs are used not only with patients but as a support when staff confront grief, exhaustion, or traumatic cases. Eric Vaillancourt, a nursing supervisor, and Jasmine Richardson, an EMT, are among staff who have worked with the dogs; Kristina Fraser, an OB-GYN, captured the lighter side of those interactions when she laughed, “I don’t know if a human baby smells as good as that puppy breath!”

Casey Guber, president and CEO, described the informal ways clinicians use the animals: “It is not uncommon to see a surgeon coming down to our administration office and rolling on the ground with Ralphie, or one of our nurses taking Ralphie out for a walk in the park.” Those moments, she said, become part of how the hospital manages the day-to-day emotional load of clinical work.

Staffers who work with the dogs say the animals’ training reduces bite risk and makes them safe to use around patients and families. The program’s handlers bring the dogs to units and stations as needed, and the presence of a calm, steady animal can offer a brief interruption that helps clinicians regroup and re-enter patient care with renewed focus. This therapeutic approach has been validated by research showing that these interactions can offer immediate emotional relief.

Hospital leaders point to the dogs’ role during particularly fraught periods, when staff seek small, immediate ways to relieve stress. The practice at Rose Medical Center sits alongside growing interest in hospital-based animal-assisted interventions; research and professional guidance on program standards and safety can be found in peer-reviewed and clinical summaries that discuss best practices for therapy dog programs and their effects on mood and anxiety, including publications at Frontiers in Veterinary Science and resources on clinical uses of therapy dogs published by professional organizations.

Peppi and Ralphie remain assigned to the hospital and continue to make scheduled and on-request visits to staff and patients. For clinicians such as Susan Ryan and others on the floor, those visits are not a replacement for formal mental-health care but a practical, humane resource in the daily practice of medicine.

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Original reporting: view the original article.