A patient’s best friend

Therapy Dogs with Students

Katie, a 9-year-old rescued Golden Retriever, can do math by pawing out the answers, bow her head to pray and catch a bone off her nose.

But her greatest gift may be in nurturing others, from sick children to elderly adults with dementia.

“She just loves people,” said her handler, Dianne Hughes. “You can’t teach that.”

Katie is one of several registered therapy dogs who regularly are brought to the UNT Health Science Center campus to provide stress relief to students. The students, in turn, are encouraged to explore the many way the dogs can be incorporated into their own practices to improve patients’ lives and health.

Once thought to be too unsanitary to go into hospitals, therapy dogs are finding a place in physical rehabilitation facilities, hospices, nursing homes and psychologists’ offices.

Therapy dog at UNTHSC

Animals provide therapy, comfort, motivation and inspiration, said Dr. Claire Peel, Vice Provost and Dean of the School of Health Professions. They’re going to airports to help distressed travelers, visiting disaster sites to comfort survivors and sitting beside therapists treating abused children.

“Sometimes children will talk to a dog before they’ll talk to a human psychologist,” said Dr. Peel, who also is a therapy dog handler.

An adult recovering from a stroke may find it easier to throw a ball for a dog than to do exercises with a physical therapist. They might prefer to practice talking to a dog instead of a speech therapist.

“Someone going through rehabilitation will often walk faster and farther when they’re walking with a dog,” Dr. Peel said.

Hesper Fang, a physical therapy student, said she can see how animals can aid in a patient’s recovery.

“A lot of patients don’t like therapy – it puts them in such a bad mood,” she said. “But a dog can really make a difference.”

Studies have shown animals can lower blood pressure, diminish pain, reduce anxiety and enhance social behaviors.

But so much of what a therapy dog does cannot be easily measured.

“They do the miracle part,” Mrs. Hughes said.

Recent News

Cow Leg Web
  • Community
|Feb 17, 2025

From volunteer to medical director: HSC medical director’s 46th year at Cowtown Marathon

If you’ve ever received medical care at the Cowtown Marathon, chances are you’ve seen Dr. Jeff Beeson, interim executive vice president of health systems and vice president of clinical partnerships at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth. Beeson is no stranger to th...
Bridgette Pullis
  • Community
|Feb 14, 2025

New College of Nursing faculty and staff expands expertise

The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth's College of Nursing has recently added three distinguished faculty and staff members to its growing team. These new additions bring experience in forensic nursing, simulation, community health and palliative care. “I am honored to...
014 046 150dpi
  • Community
|Feb 11, 2025

Running through history: the story of the Cowtown Marathon

In February 1979, runners lined up at the start of the first Cowtown Marathon. What began as a simple idea to inspire people to live more actively has since evolved into a beloved Fort Worth tradition. Promoting an active lifestyle The marathon’s organizers promoted an active lifestyle — a...
Kirk A. Calhoun Bio
  • Community
|Feb 5, 2025

Dr. Kirk Calhoun brings expertise and vision to UNTHSC

Kirk Calhoun, M.D., FACP, brings more than 30 years of experience in academic medicine and health care leadership to his new role as interim president of The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, a position he assumed on Feb. 1. Calhoun most recently served as president o...