Above / Endeavor Health has announced it’s recruiting new dogs for the Animal-Assisted Therapy program at Edward Hospital and Elmhurst Memorial Hospital. The dogs become therapeutic partners visiting patients at bedside to assist their recovery. (PN File Photo)
Endeavor Health is seeking more dogs for its Animal-Assisted Therapy program at Edward Hospital and Elmhurst Memorial Hospital. To be considered, visit endeavorhealth.org/give/volunteer and click “how to apply” at the bottom of the page and choose Animal Assisted Therapy at the appropriate hospital to complete the online application.
Applicants will be contacted for pre-screening.
Dogs and their owners who meet qualification requirements will be scheduled for temperament testing on one of the following days – Fri., April 24 or Sat., April 25 – within a two-hour time slot at Edward Hospital, 801 S. Washington St. in Naperville.
Dogs and their handlers selected for the program also must attend mandatory training at Edward Hospital, 801 S. Washington Street, from 8AM to 5PM on both Saturday and Sunday, May 30 and May 31.
To be considered, dogs must meet following requirements
- Sit/down/stay/recall/leave-it on command
- Walk loosely on a leash without pulling
- Get along well with other dogs
- Perform required commands without treats
- Like people
- Not be overly vocal
- Be at least one year of age at time of testing
- Lived with you for at least six months at time of testing
- Current on all vaccinations
- Prong collars, gentle leaders and retractable leashes are not accepted
- Handlers must be 18 years of age or older
Handlers and their dogs are encouraged to have completed a group obedience training class within the past year.
Edward-Elmhurst Health’s Animal-Assisted Therapy program began in 2002 and has done over 270,000 patient visits since the beginning of the program.
For more information, call Cynthia Brooks at (630) 527-5305, or email cynthia.brooks@endeavorhealth.org.
Sometimes therapy dogs become memorable subjects for paintings…
Nancy Quigley, a devoted volunteer in the Edward Hospital Animal-Assisted Therapy program, recalls when another woman in the Edward program used a picture of Charlie Bear taken in front of the Ronald McDonald bench inside the Edward Hospital Pediatric Unit as the subject for a painting. The artist painted the image of Quigley’s kind and gentle golden retriever to enter in an art show. Cheers!
Photos featuring golden retrievers courtesy Nancy Quigley.
