A few of the full-time employees at Children’s National Hospital have a knack for healing hearts — despite having no background in cardiology.
Tux, Hampton, Montana and Company are specially trained in their own right, working 9 to 5 days at the hospital in Northwest D.C. just like other staff.
They even have their own badges.
Charlotte Stinebiser broke her arm playing soccer last year and said rehabbing an injury is a lot more fun with a furry friend by your side.
“I got to play fetch with him,” Sinebiser said after playing with Tux, a black Labrador.
That game of fetch is part of the physical therapy program at Children’s National.
“That patience and that ability to kind of self-soothe is something really important for our facility dogs,” said Allison Proctor, who oversees the hospital’s Animal Visitation and Therapy Program.
The program began during the pandemic, when only essential employees were allowed inside the hospital.
“Pediatric hospitals have figured it out really quickly,” Proctor said.
Unlike therapy dogs, facility dogs are paired with licensed professionals — not volunteers — which means they’re part of the staff.
Children’s National Hospital
Children’s National Hospital
They’re goal-oriented, treat motivated and have had two years of training to work in different departments.
“Dogs assist with physical therapy appointments. So, whether that’s a game of fetch to try and get range of motion increases or an obstacle course to help with balance,” Proctor said.
Providing calm and comfort to kids is a big part of their job, too.
“We do a lot of grounding exercises with kids who might have anxiety on an upcoming procedure,” Proctor said. “We do medical play. So our child life specialists will grab a doctor’s stethoscope and a bandage and they will use the dog as the patient and the patient gets to practice what is about to happen to them.”
Making the rounds isn’t easy, and just like any full-time employee, the dogs take a lunch break to re-charge.
“He loves what he does,” Proctor said while scratching Company beside her.
Eventually, the dogs will transition to retirement.
“[Company] has been here since 2020 and I’m starting to have that conversation with myself and my leadership about, ‘Okay, at what age do we start talking about maybe going to part time?'” Proctor said.
News4 asked Company if he has a work-from-home policy.
He’s like, “Um, we are developing one,” Proctor said jokingly.
But until that day comes, children like Stinesbiser are glad to have the dogs around.
“It helps me a lot,” Stinebiser said.
Children’s National hopes to expand the program and add more dogs to their payroll to help as many patients as possible.
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