Animal therapy at Northwestern Medicine includes planned and scheduled visits for patients and staff. These visits involve handler-dog teams registered by one of our approved certifying organizations.

We carefully select handler-dog teams, and all teams have been trained to participate in healthcare facility visits. We strive to ensure that our safety, health and training requirements support the well-being of patients, staff and handler-dog teams.

Animal therapy volunteers must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Get registration as a handler-dog team through one of our approved certifying organizations
• Complete all general Northwestern Medicine volunteer onboarding requirements including an application, interview, orientation, health screen and background check
• Be willing to follow the rules of the program and attend all required training
• Commit to at least two visits per month at their home location
• Complete an on-site animal therapy orientation
• Successfully complete Northwestern Medicine’s temperament evaluation, which consists of three visits with a designated staff member or mentor handler
• Provide:
• Annual documentation from one of our approved certifying organizations
• Liability insurance certificate
• Updated veterinarian records for the dog

All therapy dogs must:

• Be registered with their handler by one of our approved certifying organizations
• Be at least 1 year old
• Pass a thorough annual exam and fecal culture that tests for:
• Salmonella
• Shigella
• Giardia
• Campylobacter
• Be kept on a strict vaccination schedule (updated annually), including rabies vaccine and parasite prevention, administered and documented by a licensed veterinarian
• Be clean and well-groomed before their visit, this involves:
• Being regularly bathed and thoroughly brushed
• Having clipped nails without ragged edges
• Clean ears free of smells
• Clean eyes, teeth and breath

Except at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, handler-dog teams must be registered by one of these organizations:

• Alliance of Therapy Dogs
• Pet Partners
• Therapy Dogs International

Northwestern Memorial Hospital only works with volunteers from Chicago Canine Therapy Corps. Contact them and share your interest in the Northwestern Memorial Hospital animal therapy program.

You and your dog would visit patients who have been cleared for a visit by our clinical staff. Visits follow a specific routine, and they last between five and 15 minutes per patient. While on site, teams also visit staff.

Handlers may be at the facility for up to two hours for visits. Of course, this depends on your dog’s comfort and willingness to handle visits that day. Our orientation and temperament evaluations will prepare you and your dog for visiting.

All handlers must document their visits in a log that we will give you.

Therapy dogs are:

• Well-mannered and well-behaved
• Enjoy meeting people
• Gentle, calm, patient and responsive to the handler’s cues and commands
• Comfortable in busy, unpredictable environments
• Attuned to emotions

Documented benefits of animal therapy visits for patients and staff may include:

• More motivation and socialization
• Less stress, pain, anxiety and depression
• Better strength, endurance and motor movement
• Lower heart rate and blood pressure, improving heart and vascular health

Yes. Teams consist of a volunteer handler and their own dog who have together successfully completed an evaluation by one of our approved certifying organizations.

The registered handler must stay with their dog at all times during visits. To volunteer, register with one of our approved certifying organizations before you apply to be an animal therapy volunteer with us.

Yes. Handler-dog teams will be able to visit other participating Northwestern Medicine locations after completing an on-site orientation with Volunteer Services at the other site(s).

1. Register as a handler-dog team through one of our approved certifying organizations.
2. Complete our online application.
3. Volunteer Services will respond to your application within 30 days.

You must complete:

• Our general volunteer onboarding requirements
• An on-site animal therapy orientation
• Three visits with a designated staff member or mentor handler for the temperament evaluation

For more information, contact the location where you want to volunteer.