From Rescue to Rehab: One Dog’s Mission to Bring Harmony to Healthcare

From Rescue to Rehab: One Dog’s Mission to Bring Harmony to Healthcare

By Christie Solomon

An exuberant, reddish-brown puppy found herself living on the street in northwest Florida. Originally thought to be male, she was called Cleo by Animal Control. She was taken to two different animal rescue agencies before finding her place, the second of which determined she was, in fact, a girl, and changed her name to Chloe. When she was ready to be adopted into a “forever” home, Chloe was dressed up in cute costumes to disguise her large size, strength, and likely pit bull heritage, and she even appeared in the local news.

After more than six months at the shelter, a new volunteer who did not intend to adopt a dog appeared. It was love at first sight and the would-be volunteer immediately dropped to the ground to greet Chloe, who excitedly kissed her face. The volunteer took Chloe home on a trial basis and the pair began working diligently on training with Nancy Bown, CPDT-KA and founder of Dog-Harmony. Chloe gradually gained confidence and overcame her fear of garbage trucks and plastic bags.

Bown, an evaluator for Intermountain Therapy Animals, recognized that Chloe had the right personality to become a therapy dog and encouraged the pair to become evaluated. In 2023 at age six, Chloe and her mom became a certified therapy dog team with Dog-Harmony. They now volunteer at HCA Florida Healthcare’s Rehabilitation Institute of Northwest Florida in Destin. 

Each week, Chloe brings 65 pounds of love and joy to staff and patients – and the occasional tears to patients who miss their dogs. Her favorite place to visit at the rehab center is the physical therapy (PT) gym, where she can interact with the PT patients. She is a great aid, assisting with repetitive arm movements as a command to sit, stay, or play fetch.

One day, Chloe almost fell asleep standing up as she received an excellent massage from a patient, who she distracted from blood pressure measurements before the patient began her work in the gym. The patient’s blood pressure visually dropped on the device’s screen as she patted Chloe.

A fellow volunteer at the rehab center, Sue Marks, said of Chloe:

“The staff have to give Chloe a hug, pet, or scratch and they tell us which patients in specific rooms would love a visit from Chloe each week. We have learned so many pet names and breeds belonging to the staff and patients. A smile after a visit from Chloe goes a long way. She is so well-behaved. She takes treats nicely. She makes my day on Fridays, too.”

Appreciating Chloe’s regular visits, the staff at the rehab center awarded Chloe the prestigious honor of Employee of the Month in February 2024.

Today, roughly 50% of American households (approximately 65 million) have a dog at home. Nearly all pet owners in the U.S. (97%) consider their companion animals family members. Living with dogs at home reduces stress and anxiety, lowers blood pressure, and improves the mood of humans.

Medical studies have shown that patients interacting with qualified therapy dog teams have been able to heal and recover faster. After only a few minutes of interaction, it is evident how profoundly therapy dog teams affect patients and staff as they benefit from a “bit of home” in a difficult clinical setting.

In an inpatient rehabilitation unit of John Hopkins University’s School of Medicine, doctors realized “patients who participated in animal therapy were able to meet goals faster by involving the animals – standing for longer periods while patting a dog, for instance.”

Dog-Harmony is experiencing an overwhelming demand for qualified therapy dog teams in healthcare and a significant shortage of qualified therapy dog teams in northwest Florida. The 501(c)3 non-profit provides complimentary, ongoing training for therapy dog teams, coordinates their placement in healthcare facilities, accompanies team visits, and provides management and oversight for its healthcare partners. Dog-Harmony spends an average of 10 hours of orientation, which is provided at no cost to the teams, and is required for each team after the evaluation resulting in certification.

Because of Dog-Harmony’s significant experience and multiple relationships with national pet therapy organizations (i.e., Intermountain Therapy Animals, Therapy Pet Connections, Pet Partners, etc.), the non-profit can manage and assign qualified dog therapy teams based on abilities, temperaments, and clinical requirements. The non-profit also spends a significant number of hours on continued monitoring of team performance and ongoing therapy dog team training specific to animal-assisted therapy in healthcare.

According to Dog-Harmony’s regionally-focused survey of 895 respondents in 2023, 31% of people think animal-assisted therapy is “very important” and most responded with interest in helping to support by volunteering their time, skills, and knowledge. Dog-Harmony also needs financial support to sustain the hospital therapy dog program, which is provided at no cost; and for interested therapy dog partners to start the certification program required to volunteer at regional healthcare facilities.

To support Dog-Harmony’s therapy dog program, currently managed for HCA Florida Destin-Fort Walton Beach and Twin Cities hospitals, and expand its reach to additional healthcare institutions in the area, visit Dog-Harmony.org/donate.

Therapy Dogs: Mental Health & Furry Snuggles

Therapy Dogs: Mental Health & Furry Snuggles

It’s no secret that dogs can bring you immense joy. They can provide snuggles on what would have been an empty couch while you binge-watch Netflix. They can be your running partner when you’re training for a marathon. They can be your best friend. But did you know they can help teach children to read?

Photograph of a child reading with a therapy dog team (R.E.A.D. Program)

Intermountain Therapy Animals (ITA) is the premier organization for the Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.) program. Imagine a child who is struggling to learn how to read being given confidence and self-esteem while improving their reading skills.

Dogs provide a special kind of nonjudgmental assistance and unconditional love to children that make them the perfect “teachers.”

Debbi Cole is one of the many amazing individuals who gives her time to this worthy cause. She is currently a Regional Director for READing Paws in the Northwest Florida Chapter and a licensed Evaluator, Instructor, and volunteer for ITA and R.E.A.D. “The child in essence becomes the teacher to the dog as they strive to learn to read with the additional aid of the trained handler,” she explained. 

This is just one of the many life-changing roles a therapy dog can have. As part of a handler/dog team, a therapy dog works to enhance the quality of life through the human-animal bond. Therapy teams work with people who are experiencing difficult moments in their lives from accident and injury to disease or loneliness. Nancy Bown, CPDT-KA is also an ITA evaluator and works with Debbi to ensure every team is ready for their jobs.

Becoming a therapy team doesn’t happen overnight though. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication on both sides of the team. First and foremost is the importance of being people-oriented and sociable, and they must be willing to engage with others and enjoy doing so. You have to be prepared for the unexpected and be able to adapt to ever-changing environments. Debbi explained, “The dog should be comfortable being touched, even with awkward strokes, and be able to enjoy visiting even in distracting situations. They must be reliable and predictable, responsive and controllable at all times, and able to cope with stressful situations.”

The dog is responsible for being outgoing, friendly, and confident in new settings; while the handler should be relaxed, social with strangers, attentive, interactive, and encouraging to your animal. The handler must always serve as an advocate for their animal and be the voice that they don’t have. Therapy dogs must be at least 18 months old and have a health screening with a veterinarian. The first step is to begin obedience classes to perfect their skill sets. Just like people, dogs learn and mature at different rates, so there is no cut-and-dried timeline for when a dog will be ready to get out in the field.

photograph of a boy reading a picture book on a mat in front of a therapy dog

Once the obedience skills are achieved, then the handler attends an ITA workshop where they learn how to become an effective team. They focus on skills like mutual respect, boundaries, and learning problem-solving techniques. It’s important to show compassion for those you work with and not sympathy.

Mary Burch, Ph.D., said eloquently,

“The most important part of the therapy dog equation is the client who will be receiving services. If you mainly want to spend some time with your dog, and your primary focus isn’t the senior citizen who is profoundly lonely, the child who is struggling to read, or the teenager who has endured a lifetime of abuse, you should choose another activity. There are many engaging and fun things you can do with your dog. Therapy work is for those who sincerely want to help others.”

If you decide that this describes you and you take the ITA workshop, then your team must pass a three-part screening which includes skills, aptitude, and a health exam by a veterinarian who ensures the health and physical ability to perform therapy work.

The skills and aptitude screenings evaluate how well the animal and handler work together to determine what environments they are best suited for. The next step is to shadow other ITA teams and do visits with ITA directors for their first two visits to facilities in the area.

After all of this long and rigorous training, the prepared Therapy Animal Team is ready to venture out on their own in the wonderful world of therapy work. These incredible therapy animal teams make huge differences at many local facilities like Boys & Girls Clubs, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, residential treatment centers, the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, Walton & Okaloosa public schools, youth detention programs, hospice facilities, and libraries. Just like humans, dogs change physically and emotionally as they mature.

This is why ITA requires dogs to be reevaluated every two years with testing given at the Dog-Harmony building in Santa Rosa Beach. Aside from therapy dogs, many other species make wonderful visiting animals that are capable of forming strong human-animal bonds — cats, birds, rabbits, goats, domestic rats, hamsters, guinea pigs, ducks and chickens, miniature pigs, llamas, cows, and horses are just a few. According to News in Health studies, interacting with animals can decrease your cortisol and lower your blood pressure. Other studies have shown that being around animals can reduce loneliness, increase feelings of social support, and boost your mood. In today’s fast-paced world, who doesn’t want less stress and more happiness in their life?

a chart from www.therapyanimals.org explaining the difference between therapy, service, and emotional support dogs

The importance of therapy dogs and the incredible impact they can have is becoming increasingly recognized. Therapy Patient Connections (TPC) is a human service organization founded to educate and practice the powerful benefits of the human-animal bond. Volunteers and their pets make regular visits to patients and clients who are physically or developmentally disabled, emotionally or psychologically impaired, lonely, or suffering in any way. All of their amazing services are free of charge to both clients and the facility. TPC animals and handlers are screened, trained, licensed, and insured before participating in animal-assisted interactions (AAI).

Deciding to volunteer your time and energy to participate in animal-assisted interactions is not a casual undertaking. Volunteers must be prepared to work with patients/ clients during the most difficult and stressful times in their lives. It is a serious commitment but one that comes with insurmountable rewards. Imagine the smile you can put on the face of a child recovering from surgery. The companionship a therapy dog could provide to an elderly person who has recently lost their significant other. The love and support that could be given to a person struggling with an illness. These are immeasurable gifts that will last a lifetime.