Henry the Therapy Dog

If Henry could talk, he would tell you that pet therapy is about much more than just visiting patients. At his new home in Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, Henry - a 2-year-old black lab who is the first hospital-owned dog in Michigan - will play an important role in the care of patients, visitors and staff.

Henry has been trained to:

• Provide an ear for listening. Henry will interact with patients to promote discussion, and aid in speech therapy.
• Be a physical motivator for therapy patients, allowing them to exercise while having fun playing with a dog.
• Ease feelings of anxiety, and offer a calming distraction to patients. It has been shown that therapy dogs can lower blood pressure, and reduce feelings of loneliness and stress among hospitalized patients.
• Reduce staff stress. Studies have found that petting and interacting with a therapy dog can help reenergize and motivate hospital staff. 
• Bring the real world into the hospital setting. Patients who have been hospitalized for long periods of time say therapy dogs make them feel more at home, especially those who have pets of their own.

Henry's pedigree:

• Henry was trained by For Better Independence Assistance Dogs in Michigan to be a therapy dog.
• Before coming to Henry Ford West Bloomfield, Henry lived with a trainer - not in a kennel - to build diverse socialization skills.
• Henry has passed the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen Test and the Therapy Dog International test.

Henry is an official employee of the Volunteer Services/Greeter Department at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, and will even wear an employee badge. Employees with Volunteer and Lobby Services at the hospital have been trained to handle and care for Henry at the hospital. At night, Henry will go home with an employee who is a trained dog handler and lives in close proximity to the hospital, in case Henry's services are needed after hours at the hospital.