Children’s Hospital Of Philadelphia

August 26, 2020

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has officially welcomed its first, full-time trained facility dog, who will help ease anxiety and reduce stress for young patients and their families. SSD Dilly (or Dilly for short), a two-year-old yellow Labrador funded by the Dunkin Joy in Childhood Foundation and Hope in the Air Foundation, was raised and trained by Susquehanna Service Dogs (SSD), a program of Keystone Human Services that raises, trains and places service dogs and hearing dogs, as well as facility dogs, to assist children and adults with disabilities to become more independent.

Facility dogs can be a critical part of treatment teams, trained to do tasks like teach children how to take a pill, keep them calm during medical interventions, provide incentives for them to get out of bed for a walk, and much more. In partnership with their designated handler, these dogs are trained to have a positive impact on the healing process.

“Dilly will be a wonderful tool in the toolbox for our Child Life team, as well as other clinical partners like our physical, occupational and speech therapists,” said Lisa Serad, program coordinator for the Gerald B. Shreiber Pet Therapy Program at CHOP. “There are so many times we knock on a patient’s door, and the patient simply glows when they see a dog. It makes it so much easier to build rapport and motivate many of our patients with a furry four-legged partner!”

In 2019, CHOP received philanthropic support from the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation’s Dogs for Joy program and Hope in the Air Foundation to help establish a facility dog program and begin the process of obtaining a facility dog, which included an application process, multiple interviews, and “Meet the Dogs” sessions to help ensure the chosen facility dog was a good match for CHOP. Elizabeth Olsen, a Certified Child Life Specialist at CHOP and Dilly’s handler, along with two back-up handlers and Serad, completed extensive training at SSD with Dilly in July before his arrival at CHOP.

“These special dogs not only bring joy to children battling illness but serve an important role within a child’s treatment team. By joining the CHOP team, Dilly will provide comfort and joy to so many pediatric patients and their family members,” said Kari McHugh, Executive Director of the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation. “The Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation is always seeking ways to help kids feel like kids, even on their most difficult days. Nothing brings joy more than four paws, a wet nose, and a wagging tail.”

While CHOP patients and families are already familiar with hospital volunteers and their registered therapy dogs as part of the Gerald B. Shreiber Pet Therapy Program*, Dilly’s role will be different. He will work with a CHOP staff member, focusing on goal-oriented visits rather than social-oriented visits that our volunteers and their registered therapy dogs are accustomed to providing. Facility dogs are often used in physical, occupational and speech therapy sessions, for procedural support, and to help with ambulation, distraction, and coping skills.

“Anyone that owns or has owned a dog knows the sound their collar makes is something you become familiar with and in some way, it provides a sense of reassurance,” said Chris Miller with the Hope in the Air Foundation. “With the launch of the Facility Dog Program within the CHOP facilities, it is our hope this new sound in the halls will bring reassurance to patients, patient families and staff, and that they will be able to overcome whatever they are facing. Hope in the Air is proud to be a part of this exciting new program at CHOP and we recognize that this would not be possible without the overwhelming generosity of our supporters.”

*The Gerald B. Shreiber Pet Therapy Program is currently on hiatus due to COVID-19.

  • Most Recent News

    Former Victoria man’s diabetic alert dog helps him get back to life

    June 2, 2021

    When Luke Hengen’s diabetes worsened in his early twenties, it stripped him of the outdoor activities where the country kid felt at home. Countless wilderness adventures and years of hard-fought football games took a toll on his body, to the point where he could no longer sense when his blood sugar was too high or […]

    Read more

    Students Get Therapy Dog

    January 8, 2021

    When middle school students return to class on Jan. 11, they’ll find a new face at the door: Daisy. Daisy is a therapy dog and the personal pet of Rob Kreger, principal of the Rock L. Butler Middle School. The five-year-old golden retriever is not a school pet or mascot, but rather a working dog […]

    Read more

    Therapy Dogtor

    January 8, 2021

    Last March, Caroline Benzel, a third-year medical student, began to notice the stress and discomfort her nurse friends were feeling from the pressures of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. “[Personal protective equipment] can be really rough on the skin,” Benzel, 31, tells PEOPLE. Benzel and her 3-year-old Rottweiler, Loki (who’s also a therapy dog) hatched a […]

    Read more

    Therapy Dog Pups

    January 8, 2021

    When Stanley the miniature fox terrier’s owner passed away, the little dog started a ‘paw-some’ new role – bringing puppy love to some of the Gold Coast’s oldest residents. After Carinity Cedarbrook Diversional Therapist Julianne Staff adopted Stanley, he began visiting the aged care community at Mudgeeraba as a therapy dog. Therapy dogs help to […]

    Read more

    Puppy Cams

    January 7, 2021

    A nonprofit is providing an unusual form of therapy for those on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic – puppy cams! “You spend five minutes with a puppy and try not to smile,” said registered nurse Robin Lingg Lagrone. Lingg Lagrone says watching little furballs wag their tails and prance on their paws helps […]

    Read more

    Pet Committee

    January 7, 2021

    When Moore County’s school doors were abruptly closed earlier in 2020, two- and four-legged volunteers from the Moore County Citizens’ Pet Responsibility Committee (PRC) were in their 12th year of presenting a six-session Pet Responsibility Education Program for fourth-graders. The PRC quickly shifted gears and placed its program materials online as part of a home […]

    Read more

    The Right Rescue Dog

    January 7, 2021

    If your New Year’s resolution is to add a canine family member, good for you. Somewhere out there is the perfect puppy or adult dog for your family. You have a lot of things to think about when you begin to look for that new family member, puppy or dog? Large or small? Purebred or […]

    Read more

    Police Dog Attack

    January 7, 2021

    A resolution headed to the Duluth City Council on Monday could put to rest a lawsuit filed by Teri Lynn Ehlers, an employee of the Patch Motel, who was bitten by a Duluth police dog named Oakley. Former Duluth Police Officer Marc Johnson was a registered guest of the Warroad establishment May 28, 2018, when […]

    Read more

    PAWS With A Cause

    January 7, 2021

    Pebble Hill Plantation and the Thomas County Public Library are pleased to announce the upcoming Enlightening Bites program, “PAWS With a Cause,” on Friday, January 8, 2021 at noon in the Flipper Room of the Library. The program is being presented by Jeri Anderson, field representative. Anderson is recently retired from the City of Monticello, […]

    Read more

    Police Canine Team

    January 7, 2021

    Kingston Police revealed in a news release late Wednesday afternoon that they’ve been keeping a four-legged secret for roughly three months. The force announced it added a second canine unit, with the arrival of police service dog Dak this past October. He is working with Const. Jeff Dickson, while police service dog Bask is working […]

    Read more

    More Recent News