SPL HEALTH
Lullabies and Labradors Both music and animals have long been recognized as valuable in treating the sick of all ages, from autism to Alzheimer’s Disease. At Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, these alternative therapies bring a sense of well-being to young patients and staff alike. PHOTO/MARCIA BIGGS
Ann Marie Varga and her lab Gunner stop by to visit Finley Samuels. Pets are known to have a calming or uplifting effect on the ill. BY MARCIA BIGGS ST. PETERSBURG - For Ann Marie Varga and her chocolate lab Gunner, Wednesday means a trip to the hospital.
the staff, says Leah Frohnerath, director and co-chair of the pet therapy program at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.
But no worries, neither has a medical issue. Wednesday is Gunner’s day to visit the kids at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. It’s a day of hugs and scratches and happy faces … and maybe a few treats. Gunner and Varga are part of the hospital’s Animal Assisted Therapy Team. They are one of some 25 pet therapy teams who visit Johns Hopkins to try to bring a ray of sunshine into the rooms of sick children.
Dog teams visit seven days a week, she says, visiting up to 60 patients a day depending on the number of dogs. The pups come in all sizes and breeds from big huggable labs like Gunner to dachsunds. “All the dogs are trained, tested and registered with certified agencies to be able to handle this kind of work,” says Frohnerath. “They all have to have the demeanor to be gentle, social and emotionally supportive.” The handlers, too, are counseled on how to interact with sick patients, to avoid talking about their illness and focus on the animal or uplifting thoughts.
Many of the kids they visit have life-threatening illnesses – often cancer – but the appearance of a dog can change the atmosphere and provide a positive focus for patients, their families and even
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StPeteLifeMag.com
May/June 2020
Pet therapy is not new in a hospital setting. It’s been an accepted
