Warm Fuzzy – Pet Pals Program

Pet Pals is a non-profit pet therapy program that brings carefully selected volunteer dogs and their owners to visit pediatric patients at the American Family Children’s Hospital. The dogs provide emotional support for patients and their families twice every week. Pet Pals visits help children cope with the pain and emotional trauma associated with hospitalization. The dogs also maintain normal living patterns for patients who have pets at home.  In many cases, the program serves children who spend extended periods of time in the hospital.

A scientific study concluded that the Pet Pals dogs effectively improve mood, decrease perceived pain in the pediatric patients they visit. We know that the program works simply by observing the smiles the dogs put on the kids’ faces. And the delight they take in collecting each of the dogs’ trading cards. Hospital staff members often report that the Pet Pals dogs are the only thing that can get these children up and out of their rooms!

 The Pet Pals program is unique in that rigorous, biannual medical evaluations ensure that the canine volunteers are safe, even for children who have compromised immune systems because of organ transplants or chemotherapy. The dogs are tested for a variety of bacterial and parasitic pathogens that could pose risks for these fragile children.

The patients and their families aren’t the only beneficiaries of the program. Participating in Pet Pals medical and behavior evaluations provides a great opportunity for University of Wisconsin veterinary medical students to practice history-taking, physical examinations and blood-drawing on very patient dogs. They also can gain much practical insight into canine behavior.

Over the last twenty-nine years, Pet Pals dogs have visited over thirty-thousand patients who come from all parts of the State of Wisconsin and beyond.