CHILI JUST WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED

An Upper Floor At Texas Health Presbyterian

HOSPITAL is sterile, bleached and serious. Men and women in scrubs and lab coats stride quickly, purposefully in and out of rooms. Grave-faced visitors sip coffee in the waiting area. It plainly is a model patient care unit, but it could use a touch of Chili.

Ding. The elevator opens and off steps an 89-pound black Lab. A pretty blond woman, Barbara Sanders, leads the dog down the corridor; the effect is profound. Nurses and techs stop midstride to greet the hound and scratch her head. If they pause long enough, the dog rolls over, inviting a belly rub. All the stern faces soften at the sight of Chili. A white-haired man on a gurney pops up, his eyes brightening, and he says, “I have a 91-pound lab at home.” He leans over and strokes Chili’s shiny ebony coat. “Hey, girl! What a good girl,” he coos. A young woman accompanying the older man drops to her knees and hugs the dog. After a moment she looks up at Sanders, eyes damp, and says, “Thank you.”

Chili is a registered therapy animal with Pet Partners. Known as the Delta Society until 2012, the organization’s animal-assisted activities program is rooted in the idea that animals can positively impact human health and well-being. Several studies evidence the physiological and psychological benefits of animal-human interaction, according to Pet Partners literature that Sanders presents: Pet owners on Medicare visit the doctor less (1990 Delta

Society study), pet owners live longer after a heart attack (1996 Delta Society study) and wounded veterans can benefit mentally and physically when partnered with dogs (2007 experiment), just to name a few examples. But anyone can see that the dog’s presence is a soothing balm in the stressful hospital environs. Sanders, a Lake Highlands resident and a producer at Fast Cuts media production company, adopted Chili about four years ago. Chili initially demonstrated her sweet temperment via her relationship with Sanders’ young son, Austin, now 7. “Austin lays on her like she’s a sofa,” Sanders says, “and in the pool, he just hangs on to her as she swims and pulls him along.” Sanders had a friend who joined Pet Partners with her golden Lab. Chili would be perfect for the volunteer job, she thought. After taking an online course and undergoing an evaluation, Sanders and Chili started visiting Presbyterian on Sundays. They see patients who request them. “We really like the maternity wing, and also the psychiatric unit, where the patients really flock to Chili and enjoy her.”

The patient in 315, Carol Veach, has a shih tzu at home whom she misses terribly, she tells Sanders. She cradles a tiny stuffed puppy in one needle-poked arm and allows Chili to lick her opposite hand. Sanders listens and asks questions about the shih tzu, Princess, and Veach’s other pets. Sanders promises Carol that if she is still there on Sunday, she and Chili will visit again.