Pawsitive Play Therapy Dog Program expands to The Woodlands
Texas Children’s Hospital welcomed two new animal-assisted therapy dogs in 2019. Cohen made his debut in July as the first community campus therapy dog at Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands. The 19-month-old golden retriever, doodle mix, already has made his mark on the hospital and in the hearts of employees and patients.
Child life specialist Carolyn Canlas, or CJ, has the amazing opportunity to be Cohen’s handler. Both she and Cohen have been trained to collaborate with medical teams and physical and occupational therapists to visit with several patients each day who are having a particularly difficult time during their hospitalization.
“Words cannot express how much gratitude I feel in taking on this new role,” Canlas said. “This is such an awesome opportunity to utilize my child life skillset in such a unique way. I can’t wait to see the joy that Cohen brings to patients, families and staff.”
Cohen was generously funded through a gift from Newfield Foundation, which is associated with Newfield Exploration Company, an energy exploration company. This new addition is one of the many ways The Woodlands campus continues to expand and support its surrounding community.
In December, Texas Children’s Hospital in the Medical Center welcomed its newest therapy dog, Pluto. The two-year-old Golden Retriever is the campus’ fifth therapy dog. The other four are: Elsa, Bailey, Pinto, and Cohen.
Pluto will provide goal-oriented, therapeutic interventions to those in clinics in Mark A. Wallace Tower. He is generously supported by a gift from the Barnhart family and spends his days with animal-assisted therapy coordinator, Hanna Kuhn.
“As a dog handler, even walking down the hall can brighten a patient or staff members day,” Kuhn said. “I think patients automatically feel calmer when they are able to pet the dog during preparations and procedures. I am looking forward to bringing Pluto into the outpatient environment and supporting patients’ positive coping during procedures by utilizing his presence as a coping tool and distraction option.”
During his hospital debut and first day on the job, Pluto visited patients in Mark A. Wallace Tower so that he and Kuhn could get acquainted with them and their families.
“When we were here a few months ago for surgery, we met Pinto and my daughter was so excited,” Kristin Moreno, mother of patient Claire Moreno said. “The dogs are a great way to motivate her now that we have to come back for therapy.”
Just like any other employee, the therapy dogs have an official hospital badge and work a full shift. They are trained for the position at Canine Assistants, a non-profit in Atlanta, which has matched more than 1,500 service dogs with individuals and hospitals. The dogs are groomed weekly and their paws are wiped down daily.
All five therapy dogs at Texas Children’s are part of Texas Children’s Pawsitive Play Program, which uses animal-assisted therapy to enhance the emotional well-being of pediatric patients by reducing their anxiety, perception of pain and fear of hospitalization. During its expansion, this program has not only added more dogs to the Texas Children’s family, but enhanced patient experience as a whole.