About Us

This year we are raising awareness and financial support to help establish a new Facility Dog Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and assist with placing the very first dog within the program! We need you and are inviting you to help with this exciting once in a life time opportunity.

Facility dogs are service dogs professionally trained to work in a health care setting as an important part of a child’s treatment plan. Unlike hospital visiting therapy dogs, facility dogs are employed full-time and live with a staff member referred to as a handler. The handler receives intensive training and is certified in Animal Assisted Therapy.
CHOP envisions their first facility dog to arrive in late 2020. This team member will do more than just wag its tail, give slobbery kisses and pawshakes – he/she will play a very important role in the Child Life program and the entire Children’s Hospital as the hospital’s first-ever facility dog. This facility dog’s primary focus will be to assist Child Life specialists by attending appointments for interventions with inpatient populations. The facility dog will assist with procedure support, ambulation support, co-treatment options with physical therapy, and deep pressure therapy to combat anxiety in patients.
We are requesting your help in meeting our goal of $50,000 (the cost to help establish the Facility Dog Program and placing the first facility dog within the hospital). This is sure to be a special evening where everyone can help support and build awareness of the Facility Dog Program in the local community.