Facility Dog Program - Recreational Therapy

Facility dogs are community therapy animals who provide animal-assisted therapy (AAT) in health care settings.

Our facility dog is an important member of the UI Health Care multidisciplinary treatment team. Together with their handler — a certified therapeutic recreation specialist — our facility dog provides patient care and promotes healing by helping adult patients reach various clinical goals through pain management, coping and emotional support, normalization and leisure, milestone celebrations, and more.

Recreational therapy, also called therapeutic recreation, is a type of health care that uses enjoyable activities to help people improve their physical, emotional, social, and cognitive well-being. It starts with understanding each person’s needs and interests, then creates personalized activities — such as art, music, sports, games, or community outings — that support recovery, independence, and overall quality of life. 

Learn more about recreational therapy at UI Health Care

Our facility dog provides care to adult patients based on assessments made by their multidisciplinary treatment team. A patient's treatment team will work with the facility dog handler to prioritize and schedule care based on these assessments and facility dog availability. Unfortunately, our dog isn’t able to visit every patient.

Please note, for safety and infection prevention reasons, facility dogs are not able to provide direct care/services to patients in isolation.

If you see a handler and facility dog at the hospital, please ask the handler if it is okay to approach the facility dog. Facility dogs have full schedules caring for patients and may not have time to stop. If they do, the handler will invite you to say hello to the dog. Please do not pet the facility dog unless the handler says it’s okay.

Our facility dog lives with their handler who love and care for them 24/7. When they’re are not at work, they are like any other dog who loves to eat, play, and snuggle. When they take their vests off after leaving the hospital, they know they are “off work” and can enjoy their free time like any other employee.

While the recreational therapy department is actively involved in both, the recreational therapy facility dog program  does not replace the Furry Friends program. Both programs are meaningful to patients and families during their experiences in our facilities.  

Dogs in these programs have different goals and support patients in different ways.

Learn more about the Furry Friends program. 

The recreational therapy facility dog program at UI Health Care is funded entirely by philanthropic dollars. We are grateful for these generous donations from members and partners in our local, statewide, and global communities. 

Support the recreational therapy facility dog program at UI Health Care through our Amazon wish list.