Skip to main content

Military Health System

Test of Sitewide Banner

This is a test of the sitewide banner capability. In the case of an emergency, site visitors would be able to visit the news page for addition information.

Facility Dogs Play a Vital Role in Recovery for Patients Across the MHS

Image of Luke is a German Shephard facility dog. Luke, a German Shepherd facility dog at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, stays with wounded warrior Heath T. Calhoun at the Military Advanced Treatment Center facility while Calhoun undergoes rehab therapy. Luke is officially a Navy Hospital Corpsman Third Class.

The Defense Department's first facility dog program began back in 2005, when then-Army Sgt. Harvey Naranjo saw the positive impact that man's best friend can have on troubled soldiers.

Naranjo was working with injured Special Forces warfighters in a therapeutic horse riding program. He was struck by how the wounded warriors interacted with the stable dogs.

"These tough guys, who have gone through traumatic injuries, amputations, and had been shot – all of a sudden I see them rolling around on the floor, baby talking to the dogs, and I saw them put their guard down," Naranjo recalled.

He could see a "true personality emerge from the very reserved service members for the first time."

"I thought of how much more I could do for them if I had a dog," said Naranjo, who now runs the adaptive sports program for the Occupational Therapy Department at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

At the time, Naranjo mentioned this observation to a hospital volunteer, who soon sent him a chocolate Lab named Deuce.

"And before I knew it, there was a dog in the clinic," Naranjo said.

Since then, the facility dog program at Walter Reed has grown and the concept has spread to other military medical treatment facilities.

Facility dogs can help patients with stress, depression, and anxiety. They provide distraction, unconditional love, and comfort, helping patients to recover or better cope with health problems. And they help to decompress staffs and patient families.

There are currently seven facility dogs at Walter Reed. All are highly trained by outside organizations and include Golden Retrievers, Labradors and one German Shepherd.

They are typically very busy.

Handlers say that for every hour the dogs work, they have a positive impact on 12 patients and their families. On average, these dogs work over 200 hours per month, collectively, and have contact with 2,500 people.

Before COVID-19, five to seven inpatients specifically requested a facility dog (therapy support dog) visit every day. Currently, the dogs are supporting staff, patients, and families in outpatient settings. (Handlers ensure the individual dogs' workdays are limited and that each canine gets plenty of rest.)

The dogs often fill an important role in the care of injured or ill service members or other patients who may have a long path of recovery, Naranjo said. "Our service members are missing their homes, and they're missing their families and their pets. This is like an extension of their pets," Naranjo said.

Walter Reed's Facility Dog Program

Today, the Facility Dog Program at WRNMMC includes Sully, a yellow Lab who was former President George H.W. Bush's service dog.

Each dog has his or her own rank, service, and uniform and is inducted in an enlistment or commissioning ceremony.

Each dog initially undergoes traditional service dog training with an accredited outside organization, which prepares them to be paired with a disabled service member or veteran to provide assistance with tasks and companionship. After that, the dogs at WRNMMC undergo additional training to become a "facility dog" who works in a clinical setting like a hospital.

Amy O'Connor and Patty Barry oversee the facility dog program at Walter Reed, and Naranjo is the program service dog patient Education & Referral liaison.

"I've had the privilege to be part of this program for over 15 years and have a wonderful group of handlers that are primarily active duty service members who do the handling of the dogs as a collateral duty. This program is truly nobody's job; we all give a little bit of ourselves to make it work," O'Connor said

"We try to switch them up in their daily duties," said Navy Hospital Corpsman Skylor Cervantes, the lead handler. "Different dogs can go to different areas, and different people can meet the different dogs, have different interactions with them because they all have their own unique personalities. Some of the dogs do work in specific locations, but they also get to visit other locations."

For example, children who have cancer tend to be at the medical center for a long time. "These dogs become part of their treatment plan, they become part of their family," O'Connor noted.

One area the dogs visit every day is the Military Advanced Treatment Center, where wounded warriors rehabilitate, O'Connor explained. Truman, a chocolate Lab with the rank of Army master sergeant, is the resident MATC dog, Naranjo said.

Additionally, the dogs work as part of community reintegration, Naranjo said, adding that some service members may develop anxiety about traveling after losing a limb.

"Having the dog with them plays a huge role in deflecting some of the stares that they may get from people or just their anxiety in general from accessing community again in a new body," Naranjo explained.

How Are Therapy Dogs Trained?

All the WRNMMC dogs are "purpose-bred and -trained to be service dogs for our wounded warriors. And in that process, they are trained for 18 to 24 months," O'Connor said.

"We don't stop learning and working to get better," O'Connor said. Each Walter Reed therapy dog handler goes through a training program, the Personnel Qualification Standard, to ensure confidence, consistency, and solid handling skills. It generally takes about six weeks of training with two to three hours a week of practice, she said.

At the end of the day, all facility dogs go home with their owner-handler, so it's a full-time commitment.

Program Growth

WRNMMC's therapy dogs program has been such a success that other military hospitals and clinics are following suit. These include

  • Naval Medical Center San Diego's LC and Cork, a golden Lab and black Lab, respectively
  • Brooke Army Medical Center-Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas. It is getting a facility dog named Budd. A yellow Lab, Budd will be commissioned on June 6 as an Army major.
  • Madigan Army Medical Center has a new facility dog named Earl. The black Lab just started his mission with the Peer Support Program on May 16
  • The California Air National Guard's 144th Fighter Wing also has a facility therapy dog named Paige.

In the end, "facility dogs must be suited for the complex environment of a hospital with multiple interactions," O'Connor said.

"Facility dogs can interact with 100 people a day, and that's not suitable for all dogs. Some of these dogs wouldn't be happy with one wounded warrior. They seek the multiple interactions and have the energy for that."

You also may be interested in...

MSMR Vol. 19 No. 7 - July 2012 (Supplement)

Report
7/1/2012

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center.

MSMR Vol. 19 No. 6 - June 2012 (Supplement)

Report
6/1/2012

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center.

MSMR Vol. 19 No. 10 - October 2012

Report
1/1/2012

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Update: Cold weather injuries, active and reserve components, U.S. Armed Forces, July 2007-June 2012; Thyroid disorders among active component military members, U.S. Armed Forces, 2002-2011; Reported vectorborne and zoonotic diseases, U.S. Army and U.S. Navy, 2000-2011; Surveillance Snapshot: influenza immunization among health care workers, August 2002-April 2012; Reported vectorborne and zoonotic diseases, U.S. Air Force, 2000-2011.

MSMR Vol. 19 No. 8 - August 2012

Report
1/1/2012

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Viral meningitis, active and reserve components, U.S. Armed Forces, 2002-2011; Updates: Routine screening for antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus, type 1 (HIV-1), civilian applicants for U.S. military service and U.S. Armed Forces, active and reserve components; Hospitalizations for hepatitis A, B, and C, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 1991-2011; Pertussis diagnoses among service members and other beneficiaries of the U.S. Military Health System, January 2005-June 2012.

MSMR Vol. 19 No. 11 - November 2012

Report
1/1/2012

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Costs of war: excess health care burdens during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (relative to the health care experience pre-war); Outbreak of gastrointestinal illness during Operation New Horizons in Pisco, Peru, July 2012; Substance use disorders in the U.S. Armed Forces, 2000-2011.

MSMR Vol. 19 No. 3 - March 2012

Report
1/1/2012

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Initial assessment of impact of adenovirus type 4 and type 7 vaccine on febrile respiratory illness and virus transmission in military basic trainees, March 2012; Surveillance Snapshot: adenovirus among U.S. military recruit trainees; Case report: chest pain in service members following smallpox vaccination; Predictive value of surveillance case definitions of Guillain-Barré Syndrome in vaccine safety assessment; Mental health diagnoses during the year prior to schizophrenia, U.S. Armed Forces, 2001-2010; Update: heat injuries, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2011; Update: exertional rhabdomyolysis, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2011; Update: exertional hyponatremia, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 1999-2011.

MSMR Vol. 19 No. 1 - January 2012

Report
1/1/2012

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Update: Malaria, U.S. Armed Forces, 2011; Sources of variability of estimates of malaria case counts, active and reserve components, U.S. Armed Forces; Images in health surveillance: Malaria vectors and malaria testing; Editorial: Malaria in the U.S. Armed Forces: A persistent but preventable threat; Historical snapshot: Development of the hepatitis A vaccine.

MSMR Vol. 19 No. 5 - May 2012

Report
1/1/2012

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Deaths while on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces, 1990-2011; Degenerative disc disease, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2001-2011; Images in health surveillance: tickborne disease vectors and Lyme disease clinical diagnosis; Brief report: quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine initiation, coverage, and compliance among active component service women, 2006-2011; The risk of mental health disorders among U.S. military personnel infected with human immunodeficiency virus, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2000-2011.

MSMR Vol. 19 No. 2 - February 2012

Report
1/1/2012

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Health care experiences prior to suicide and self-inflicted injury, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2001-2010; Relations between suicide and traumatic brain injury, psychiatric diagnoses, and relationship problems, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2001-2009; Outpatient encounters associated with diagnostic codes for migraine and other types of headaches, active component service members, 1998-2010; Medical evacuations from Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn, active and reserve components, U.S. Armed Forces, 2003-2011; Surveillance snapshot: Medical evacuations from Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), active and reserve components, U.S. Armed Forces, October 2001-December 2011; Surveillance snapshot: Recurrent medical encounters associated with alcohol abuse-related diagnostic codes, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2001-2010.

MSMR Vol. 19 No. 7 - July 2012

Report
1/1/2012

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Health of women after wartime deployments: correlates of risk for selected medical conditions among females after initial and repeat deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq, active component, U.S. Armed Forces; Acute pelvic inflammatory disease, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2002-2011; Ectopic pregnancy, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2002-2011; Historical snapshot: Dr. Mary E. Walker, Civil War surgeon, Medal of Honor recipient; Surveillance snapshot: traumatic amputations among female service members, active and reserve components, U.S. Armed Forces, 2000-2011; Iron deficiency anemia, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2002-2011.

MSMR Vol. 19 No. 4 - April 2012

Report
1/1/2012

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: "Military importance": what does it mean and can it be assessed objectively?; Absolute and relative morbidity burdens attributable to various illnesses and injuries, U.S. Armed Forces, 2011; Hospitalizations among members of the active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2011; Surveillance Snapshot: illness and injury burdens among U.S. military recruit trainees, 2011; "Sentinel reportable medical events, service members and other beneficiaries of the U.S. military health system, first calendar quarter, 2012 versus 2011"; Ambulatory visits among members of the active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2011.

MSMR Vol. 19 No. 6 - June 2012

Report
1/1/2012

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Surveillance Snapshot: deployment-related injuries to external genital organs, by month and service, active and reserve components, U.S. Armed Forces, January 2003-April 2012; Incident diagnoses of cancers and cancer-related deaths, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2000-2011; Deaths by suicide while on active duty, active and reserve components, U.S. Armed Forces, 1998-2011; Mental disorders and mental health problems, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2000-2011; Amputations of upper and lower extremities, active and reserve components, U.S. Armed Forces, 2000-2011.

MSMR Vol. 19 No. 12 - December 2012

Report
1/1/2012

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Pulmonary and extrapulmonary coccidioidomycosis, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 1999-2011; Seasonal variation in incident diagnoses of appendicitis among beneficiaries of the Military Health System, 2002-2011; Historical perspective: coccidioidomycosis in the U.S. military and military-associated populations; Appendicitis and appendectomies among non-service member beneficiaries of the Military Health System, 2002-2011; Appendicitis and appendectomies, active and reserve components, U.S. Armed Forces, 2002-2011.

MSMR Vol. 19 No. 9 - September 2012

Report
1/1/2012

A monthly publication of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Branch. This issue of the peer-reviewed journal contains the following articles: Injuries due to firearms and air guns among U.S. military members not participating in overseas combat operations, 2002-2011; Health care encounters for injuries associated with a gun mechanism or component, U.S. Armed Forces; Images in health surveillance: West Nile virus vectors and prevention; Update: Pneumonia-influenza and severe acute respiratory illnesses, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, July 2000-June 2012; Pneumonia and influenza among military members and other beneficiaries of the U.S. military health system, 2007-2012; Lightning-related medical encounters, U.S. Armed Forces, January 2009- August 2012; Coccidioidomycosis, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, January 2000-June 2012.

Indications and Conditions for In-Theater Post-Injury Neurocognitive Assessment Tool (NCAT) Testing

Report
5/31/2011

In accordance with Section 1673 of the NDAA HR 4986, signed into law in January of 2008, the Secretary of Defense was instructed to establish a protocol for the pre-deployment assessment and documentation of the cognitive functioning of Service Members deployed outside the United States.

Page 13 of 24 , showing items 181 - 195
First < ... 11 12 13 14 15  ... > Last 
Refine your search
Last Updated: February 01, 2023
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery