More children's hospitals add facility dogs for patient support

Cincinnati Children's Hospital currently staffs four facility dogs, including Hadley, a Labrador-golden retriever mix. The dogs accompany patients during procedures, encourage physical activity, and remain on site full time rather than visiting on a volunteer schedule.

Handlers and dogs live together. Hospitals cover food and veterinary expenses through fundraising or grants, while the training nonprofits retain ownership of the animals.

A 2022 survey across 17 children's hospitals found that staff reported improved rapport and a more familiar setting for families. A separate 2021 study in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing recorded reductions in pain scores and blood pressure among children who interacted with facility dogs.

Kerri Rodriguez, director of the Human-Animal Bond Lab at the University of Arizona, stated that the dogs supply “a little bit of normalcy, a little bit of comfort, in a really stressful, sterile environment.

Attendance at the annual Facility Dog Summit nearly doubled between 2024 and 2025. Canine Assistants in Georgia has placed more than 80 dogs at children's hospitals nationwide. Johns Hopkins Children's Center added its first two facility dogs in March.

Dogs already work at Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital, Norton Children's Hospital, and St. Louis Children's Hospital. Hospitals generally receive the animals from groups such as Canine Companions, which breeds, raises, and trains them.

Hadley is bathed twice monthly because she works in the cancer and blood diseases unit. Handlers sanitize equipment and require hand cleaning before and after contact. Dogs stay outside isolation rooms except when a dying child requests proximity. On a recent morning, Hadley played outside with another facility dog, Grover, before returning to patient visits.

Staff noted that children confined for long periods, such as 14-year-old Aspen Franklin and 5-year-old Calvin Owens, use the dogs for both comfort and light exercise.