Whether providing comfort at a patient’s bedside, greeting people entering the hospital, or providing a little comic relief to the staff, our Pet Therapy volunteers are just what the dog-tor ordered.
The therapy dogs are Cheshire Medical Center volunteers who are specially trained and registered. Our therapy dogs are screened based on their attentiveness, good health, affection, and sensitivity to people. Therapy dogs and their humans work as a team to visit patients in their rooms in every department of the hospital, aside from the Operating Room.
If you and your dog are interested in volunteering for the Pet Therapy program, please start by registering with the Alliance of Therapy Dogs.
Once you have registered, apply to be a volunteer. Volunteer Services coordinates and schedules all pet therapy dog teams at our facility. If you have any questions about the Pet Therapy program, please contact Volunteer Services at volunteers@cheshire-med.com or call 603-354-5499.
These furry friends provide many benefits to both patients and staff. If a patient is feeling stressed, scared, lonely, or in pain, just being near an animal can help calm them. Petting the therapy dogs is also known to reduce blood pressure and anxiety. For employees, therapy dogs can help boost their mood or relieve stress during their shift.
Beyond comfort, therapy dogs can also help improve cognitive and behavioral skills, encourage social interaction and help patients feel safer and more emotionally engaged during mental health treatment.
If you know a patient, staff, provider or a department that would benefit from a visit from one of our Pet Therapy volunteers and their dogs, call 603-354-5499 or 603-354-5454 ext. 2889 to arrange a visit.
Cheshire’s Pet Therapy program is a community benefit—the non-billable activities employees at Cheshire do to improve the health and well-being of our community.