Innovative Resident Dog Program provides bonding and healing

Meet Scout, the newest member of St. Joe’s Forensic Mental Health team. At 15 months old, he likes playing ball, cuddles, agility training and chasing his tail. His weaknesses include drooling when he’s hungry and experiencing “frenetic random activity periods” (better known as “zoomies”).

By now, you’ve probably guessed it: Scout is a dog. A 120-pound Leonberger to be exact. He’s part of a pilot Resident Dog Program, called Paws for Wellness, at St. Joe’s born from a desire to incorporate consistent therapeutic animal visits into patient care. What’s unique about Scout? Mainly, the patients he visits are his extended family. Local breeder Concorde Ridge Leonbergers donated Scout to the hospital, so that he could be embedded directly into patients’ recovery journeys.

“It’s still early days, but so far the program is exceeding my hopes,” says Ashley Palmer, a recreational therapist in St. Joe’s Forensic Mental Health program who spearheaded the resident dog program. “The feedback we’ve received from patients and staff is overwhelmingly positive. They’re more relaxed and at ease in his presence. He makes their day. You can just see the tension release when he’s around.”

The pandemic changed how many patients receive mental health care. At St. Joe’s, it meant visits from therapy animals stopped. Ashley and Nurse Manager Derek Stokke identified a great need among forensic patients and jumped at the opportunity to do something no hospital had done before: bring in a resident dog to a forensic unit. Historically, pet visits coordinated through external agencies are limited due to availability. But Scout works up to five days a week, giving patients better access to bond. While the hospital owns Scout, Ashley acts as his foster mom. When Scout isn’t working, he lives with Ashley and her husband, two kids and dog Oreo.

“Ultimately, I want Scout to be patients’ house pet.” – Ashley Palmer

Ashley and Derek have identified clear goals for patients they hope to achieve with Scout:

• Decrease depression
• Increase social interaction skills
• Reduce isolation through touch and connection
• Support emotional outlets and build on coping skills

“I want our patients to feel some ownership that he is a part of our program, not just someone who is here on contract,” says Derek. “As they grow through their journey of recovery, he’ll be there. I want to see the smiles on patients’ faces. I want to see staff get some joy on their stressful days.”

Many patients in this unit may not have family members, or have a pet at home that they’re unable to see. “Scout is no substitution by any means, but it’s an opportunity for them to be around someone – or a big, fluffy dog – who won’t judge them,” says Ashley. “He’s just going to love them. If they’re stressed or down, he’ll give them extra attention or a kiss. He’ll help take on that stress for them.”

St. Joe’s photographer, Kendra Pierroz, was onsite snapping shots of staff at our annual Breakfast with Santa. She says Scout was a bit hesitant of Santa at first, but eventually warmed up to the hat and beard!

The future of resident dog programs

Therapeutic animal visits as part of recovery programs for mental health patients is relatively new. Still, early research indicates that these programs can lower anxiety and depression in patients receiving mental health care.

Psychiatrist Dr. Gary Chaimowitz, Head of St. Joe’s Forensic Services and President, Canadian Psychiatric Association, is leading a study that will identify Scout’s impact on the wellness of both patients and staff.

“Staff feeling good and being satisfied with their jobs has a direct impact on patient wellness,” says Dr. Chaimowitz. “So, we think it’s equally important to measure Scout’s effect on staff. If both staff and patients have a sense of wellness as a result of Scout, the treatments we provide and the outcomes should improve.”

“Some of the things we feel as humans are a little harder to measure; things like warmth, respect, compassion, sense of being valued,” says Dr. Chaimowitz. “So how do you measure human connection in a very busy health care system?”

The team is starting by asking both patients and staff to answer weekly surveys about how they’re feeling. Topics include anxiety, quality of life, happiness and burnout. They hope the findings will reinforce the positive effect of pet therapy in a hospital setting and ultimately lead to an expansion of the program.

“Scout fills a gap that our patients have, which is a limited ability to interact and touch other people. He really provides that compassionate, warm bond with another being,” says Dr. Chaimowitz. “For all of the research and measurement we do, the sense of enjoyment and warmth that comes from patients and staff interacting with Scout is immeasurable. It is humbling to see how his impact is so dramatic compared to many of our interventions.”

If you want to help fund Scout's food, training, and veterinary care, simply make a donation to our Foundation's Paws for Wellness Fund online at www.stjoesfoundation.ca/give