Stephanie Cooper Greenberg and her 3-year-old Dalmatian, Olive, pay a visit to Johns Hopkins Hospital patient Laura Hicks. Cooper Greenberg and Olive are part of Pet Partners, an animal therapy program based on research that says visits from pets can relieve some of the stress, pain and anxiety related to illness and hospital stays. The pair is one of 15 volunteer dog-handler teams who visit patients in units throughout The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Cooper Greenberg estimates that the teams visited the hospital 150 times in two-hour shifts last year. During their shifts, the teams visit as many as 10 patient rooms. Cooper Greenberg says four more dog-and-handler teams will soon finish the extensive training and certification required to become part of Pet Partners at Johns Hopkins. To learn more about Stephanie, Olive and Pet Partners, visit youtube.com/JohnsHopkinsMedicine.
Pet Therapy at Johns Hopkins Hospital
Meet Olive, a 3-year-old Dalmatian. She and her owner, Stephanie Cooper Greenberg, show what it’s like to be a therapy dog at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Therapy dogs are now being universally recognized for how they can help with healing while in the hospital.