Northwest Community Hospital's therapy dogs are good medicine

Seven days a week, the corridors at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights go to the dogs - 70 of them.

The canines and their 76 masters move in and out of patient rooms to spread some cheer and relieve some stress during visits of 5 to 10 minutes each.

"The patients become mellow and are very soothed by petting the dog, and more apt then to do what the nurse wants them to do," said Kathy King, who manages the hospital's volunteer Animal Assisted Therapy program.

King, a retired schoolteacher from Schaumburg who once taught students with behavioral disorders at a junior high school, and her own therapy dog will be among the volunteers on the hospital's front lawn Aug. 12 to celebrate the program's 10th anniversary.

King said the smiles she and her brindle hound Guinness get from patients as they walk into rooms "is a moment of joy and light."

Patient blood pressure and stress are lowered when the dog comes in, she said.

King started as a volunteer at Northwest Community nine years ago and has managed its therapy dog program for five years. The hospital's program was developed after it was suggested by Diane Colville, a cardiac unit employee. At the time, her husband was a volunteer with his therapy dog at Edward Hospital in Naperville.

The therapy dogs in King's program are mostly mixed breeds and range in size from the silky terrier named Luigi to the Great Dane called Ice. Big dogs don't alarm patients.

"Actually," King said, "most patients want to see large dogs."

Dogs weighing less than 50 pounds are allowed to lay on the patient's bed, which has been covered with a separate sheet. Dogs weighing more than 50 pounds may sit on a chair.

King carries a list of 40 to 60 names of patients who have indicated their desire to see a therapy dog. Some have made this request while in the emergency room.

Walking past nursing stations, Guinness also elicited smiles from hospital staff. Several paused to say, "Oh, what a lovable puppy." One staff member coaxed Guinness into her office and fed him a biscuit.

"The dogs have a large impact on staff doctors and nurses," King said. "They reduce their stress."

The dogs also make a monthly stop at the Arlington Heights Senior Center.

There is an annual turnover of the dogs in the program. Some get "retired" or die, or an owner may no longer have adequate time to volunteer.

Like all of the hospital's therapy dogs, King's dog received two sessions of training in the hospital's basement and a behavioral screening. Of the 35 dogs registered by their owners for the last training session, only 12 were accepted.

Dogs are trained to refrain from walking ahead of their master, obey the commands of "sit" and "down," be "social" with other dogs, gently approach patients, and remain quiet in the patient's room. If someone knocks on the door, the dog may bark but must stop within five or 10 seconds.

What does her work mean to her?

"It reinforces my belief in doing something extra for others," King said. "I've always thought that if you have the available time, then give some of it to others."

The therapy dog program's anniversary celebration will include agility games for dogs, massage therapists, two "dog whisperers" and treats donated by Bentley's Pet Stuff in Arlington Heights, King said.

She encouraged anyone with a dog and who wants to "try out for a team" at the hospital, to contact the hospital at the main desk or at www.NWCH.org, or call her at (847) 618-7968.