Brady, 10, and Calvin, 5, walk the corridors at Hopkins Children’s, nosing into patients’ rooms and occasionally laying down on their beds. And no one stops them. 

The beagles and their owners are members of the National Capital Therapy Dogs, Inc . (NCTD), a non-profit, volunteer-based organization that provides “animal-assisted” therapy for children and adults.  Brady and Calvin have been visiting Hopkins Childrens for three years now. Their housemate, Annabelle, 13, has retired from pediatric medical rounds. “They now tire her out, so instead she takes part in a school program where the students read to her,” says her owner, Michelle Cohen. “But the boys really enjoy the visits to Hopkins.” 

So do Michelle and her husband, Mark, who have brought their trained pets to Hopkins Children’s for several years. Dogs in tow, the Columbia, Md. couple visits another hospital and a school, as well. Other NCTD teams travel to assistant living and hospice facilities, too.
 
Therapy animals receive extensive training and evaluation in the program and “not all make the cut,” says Cohen. “It takes a certain quality and personality to do this job well. And a lot of grooming.”
 

Hopkins Children’s Child Life Department paved the way years ago for visits by therapy dogs. The canines have arrived washed, tooth-brushed and “manicured” in a number of shapes and sizes – from a languid whippet named Graffiti to Jynx the Yorkshire terrier. Different therapy teams might visit up to twice a week, depending on schedules and the availability of Child Life specialists who accompany them on rounds.  

At present, NCTD teams visit patients on the teen unit at Hopkins Children’s, the pediatric clinical research unit and the psychiatry unit, among others. 

“Seeing these children smile, you almost can forget they are sick,” says Mark Cohen, who leads his well-disciplined beagles through a series of tricks. “They don’t act like it when they are with the dogs. They try to sit up, they laugh and seem to forget where they are. For a few minutes, they feel free.”  

“Our patients so look forward to these dogs’ visits,” adds Child Life Specialist Mary Ellen Hluska, who coordinates ‘animal-assisted’ activities in the hospital.“They are truly therapeutic.” 

In the Photo Above:  At Hopkins Children's, Mark Cohen and Calvin visit one of the beagles' long-time fans, Necsha Scott, who keeps a photo album of their visits together. "He's sweet and clean," the teenager says of Calvin.  
 

To learn more about dog therapy at Hopkins Children's, contact its Child Life Department, 410-955-6276.