Pet Therapy

Your eyes are not deceiving you…Atrium has gone to the dogs! Atrium Medical Center now offers a Pet Therapy program. Currently, we have five pet therapy dogs and we are always looking to expand this program. 

The goal of the program is to provide joy, comfort and companionship to our patients through interaction with pets. It has been found that animals are often able to bring about responses from patients who were previously non-communicative. They offer a sense of warmth and home. Animals can help reduce stress, boost self-esteem and have even been know to help reduce recovery time. 

Let’s meet a few of our pets:

	Sweet Pea DOB:  03/15/2007 Favorite Treat: Pepperoni Breed: Jack Russell/Chihuahua Mix
	Buddy DOB: 2006 Favorite Treat – Bacon Breed: Golden Retriever
	Jack Breed: Golden Doodle

Certifications

Handler must complete all procedures and policies required for volunteering including:

• Application
  • Interview – including pet
  • Reference checks
  • Floor and general orientation
  • Annual education and TB testing
  • Badge (Hospital Identification)
• Annual Vaccinations (Pet)
  • DHLPP
  • Rabies
  • Bordetella
  • Copy of current Health Record
• Pet Therapy Training
  • Pet Therapy achievement documentation from an accredited training program such as: Therapy Dogs International.