Facility dog roles, responsibilities, and experiences in pediatric healthcare

Abstract

ABSTRACT Current research indicates therapeutic benefits associated with facility dog interventions for hospitalized pediatric patients; however, considerably less is known about understanding, structuring, and optimizing these specialized services. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the roles, responsibilities, and experiences of pediatric hospital-based facility dog teams and programs. Participants included 43 facility dog handlers employed in US pediatric healthcare settings. A survey collected information about handler and program characteristics, perceptions of the facility dog role, and intervention provision experiences. Most programs were found in freestanding children’s hospitals, serving inpatient units, ambulatory surgery, the emergency department, and radiology. They described facility dogs as highly trained, facility-specific animals that work in tandem with trained psychosocial support professionals to identify and meet patient- and family-focused goals. Participants reported a spectrum of psychosocial interventions, describing their work as primarily animal-assisted therapy, with some animal-assisted intervention and animal-assisted activities as well. Facility dogs, alongside their handlers, offer an array of interventions grounded in their assessment of a child and family’s psychosocial and developmental needs and goals. Though programs may differ in some ways, they are united in their aims to provide intentional, playful, and healing interventions for hospitalized children and families.