By Elizabeth Cloutman

Therapy dogs help patients and staff at El Camino Hospital

Hospitals can be stressful places for both staff and patients. The staff at El Camino Hospital stay busy attending to the many needs of the patients they care for. Patients may feel ill, in pain or incapacitated, yet the days can seem long and monotonous, away from the comforts of home.

Fortunately, every Friday morning for the past two years, the hospital routine has been pleasantly disrupted by two experienced therapists coming to visit patients and staff. Hobie, a Labrador retriever, and Runner, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, are therapy dogs, certified by Therapy Dogs, International.

With soft brown eyes gleaming and tails wagging, Hobie and Runner visit the second, fourth and sixth floors of El Camino. Immediately, the hospital’s atmosphere changes as staff, patients and their families respond to their gentle and friendly canine visitors. The dogs are accompanied by their “moms,” Barbara Naylor and Jennifer Underwood.

“People look forward to Fridays,” said nurse Lynne McCoy, clinical manager for the sixth floor, which includes the oncology and end-stage renal disease units. “As the manager for the floor, I look forward to the difference it makes for our patients as well as the nursing staff. It’s fun to see patients smile and relax … to have something familiar and something from the outside.”

Hospital staff members check in advance with patients who are not at risk of infection to see who would like a visit. Hobie and Runner may sit quietly in a chair next to a patient’s bed to be petted or perform some of their tricks. If a patient prefers, they share their skills in the hospital hallway.

Naylor and Underwood call one favorite trick the “miracle.” Runner “plays dead” with a large kerchief over his head. Hobie pulls off the kerchief and Runner stands up, with Naylor and Underwood exclaiming, “He’s alive! It’s a miracle!”

Hobie and Runner, though they are both friendly and even-tempered, have their own distinctive personalities. Hobie is the more exuberant. He shows his affection by licking, and his entire hindquarters sway in rhythm with his rapidly wagging tail. Runner has a dignified air, showing affection by touching with his nose. The deep lines on his brow make his face appear very expressive. Underwood noted that because the dogs have differing personalities, they interact with patients differently. Therefore, almost always, at least one of the dogs is able to make a special connection with a patient.

“It’s so great to have that special touch and perfect love,” said nurse Nancy Brooks, the sixth-floor care coordinator. “They certainly perk up our nursing staff. This is a hard, grueling job, and just having the dogs come around makes everything different.”

Underwood even makes costumes for the dogs to wear for special occasions such as Halloween and Valentine’s Day. Hobie and Runner don’t seem to mind. They just enjoy the extra attention and surprise treats from the staff.

Naylor finally had some extra time to pursue a longtime dream of visiting El Camino Hospital with Hobie when the youngest of her five children reached his mid-teens. She contacted hospital officials and was granted permission within a week or so, she said.

Naylor, a Los Altos resident, knew Underwood had brought Runner to Blach Intermediate School’s resource room every Friday when she had been a special education teacher there. After Underwood resigned to become a part-time tutor, Naylor asked Underwood, a Sunnyvale resident, and Runner to join her and Hobie on their visits to El Camino.

Not every dog can become a therapy dog. Dogs like Hobie and Runner have a combination of good temperament and careful training.

According to American Kennel Club and Therapy Dogs, International rules for certification, therapy dogs must be able to accept friendly strangers; sit politely and be receptive to petting; respond to commands; interact well with other dogs; and behave confidently in crowds and in distracting situations.

Hobie and Runner are polite hospital visitors, who never bark during their visits.

Pam Peak and Nevada Frankfather, longtime patients in the second-floor subacute and rehabilitation unit, are especially appreciative of Hobie and Runner’s visits.

Both women, who are paralyzed and on respirators, had dogs at home before they came to live permanently at El Camino and had to leave their beloved pets with friends.

“It’s uplifting when they come,” said Peak, a patient since July. “I tell (the dogs) I’ve missed them. I’ve noticed some of the patients respond to them when they don’t always respond to people.”

Frankfather, a patient for the past four years, added, “My dogs, Audie and Bingo, are just like these dogs.” She welcomes Hobie’s affectionate kisses and calls them “slobber therapy.”

Hobie and Runner’s friendly visits to the cardiac unit on the fourth floor are equally appreciated, providing a welcome respite for staff as well as patients.

While Naylor said that it is the dogs, not their humans, who deserve all the credit for the popularity of dog therapy at El Camino, McCoy and Brooks disagree, lauding Naylor and Underwood for their dedication and caring.

“They are so calm and respectful (of the patients),” McCoy said. “They anticipate what might work and help make a difference … They are probably the key that makes it all work.”

Brooks added, “(Naylor and Underwood) aren’t just doing this as a lark. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve called them in the middle of the week when a special patient has said, ‘I just need to see a dog’ or ‘I need to see a wagging tail.’ They stop whatever they’re doing and rush right over.”