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Health Matters: Providence St. Mary Medical Center | 7 There's Nothing Like a 'Fur-Ever' Friend Providence St. Mary's new therapy dog, Sara, is a hit with patients and caregivers. W hile it may be true that a dog is man's best friend, the buzz around the halls of Providence St. Mary Medical Center lately is that Sara is a patient's best friend. Who's Sara? She's an adorable three-year-old black Labrador retriever who now serves as the hospital's therapy dog—and, based on the reactions, it's fair to say that Sara is just what the doctor ordered. About a year ago, St. Mary chief executive Randy Castillo began exploring the addition of a therapy dog at the hospital to provide a unique form of comfort to those in need. He took the idea to April Schafer, the hospital's director of patient experience—a demanding role that sees her working on everything from updating hospital processes to securing phone chargers for patients. After some research, the pair learned the difference between a facility dog and a therapy dog: The former can interact only with patients, while the latter can interact with patients and staff. Their decision was instantaneous. "It was very important to Randy that caregivers could interact with the dog, play with the dog," explains Schafer. With the choice of a therapy dog made, they next needed a handler. It had to be someone with a flexible schedule, because therapy dogs are restricted to working only two hours a day. "The dogs can only work that long because they take on the emotions of the person they're with, so if they are in a complicated, upsetting situation, they will get worn out and need to reset," Schafer says. It didn't take long before she agreed to care for Sara. LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT Raised from birth to be a therapy dog, Sara was born at Canine Companions, the organization the hospital worked with to secure her. Their puppy handlers trained her to be of service to people who are hard of hearing, but Sara flunked the final, because her diet requires expensive specialty foods. Canine Companions felt she would be a better match for the hospital rather than one individual, because St. Mary would have more resources to cover the costs of the prescription diet. Schafer and her family first met Sara in December 2022. "We fell in love with her immediately," she says. "She was so sweet and loving. We brought her home that night." While she was thrilled to have the playful puppy around, Schafer had work to do. She was given a 100-plus-page manual and online classes to attend. The two went through an official six-month bonding period, too. Schafer learned the commands Sara already knew, while Sara learned new commands and how to comfortably follow Schafer's lead. "I'm still learning new commands all the time. Just recently I found out she knows how to high-five. She was sitting down. I casually said 'High five' and she put her paw up!" Schafer recalls, laughing. "Honestly, we could have done just a three-month period instead of six months, because she totally bonded with our whole family right away." Sara now has a kennel in Schafer's office. Each day, they get to work around 6 a.m. to see the caregivers who work at night before shift change. Then, later in the day, when most patients are awake, Sara will make her rounds, providing comfort and support to patients and the day-shift caregivers. IMMEDIATE REWARDS In a short time, Sara has made a huge difference, says Jennifer Dazzi, senior manager of risk management. "Sara has lifted the morale not only for our patients but also for our caregivers. It's so fulfilling to watch people smile as they see her walk down the hall. She is the sweetest creature we never knew we needed!" Schafer says she knew her life would change when she and her family took over Sara's care, but the experience has had more of an impact than she could have imagined. In early 2023, her stepfather was in hospice care after a fight with cancer; he and Schafer's mother, Peggy, lived across the street. One day, not long after Sara moved in, they were on a walk when Schafer noticed the doctor's car pull up at her mother's house. She immediately had a gut feeling it would not be long before her stepfather passed. Schafer stopped in to ask her mother how things were going. Sara pulled and pulled at her leash, as if she needed to go down the hall. "I took her in to my stepdad's room and unhooked her leash. She went right up on the bed and lay next to him and stayed there about half an hour. He put out his arm and just held on to her, and he was so calm. She reached up, licked his face and then just lay there with her head on his chest until he fell back asleep," says Schafer. Looking over at her mother, she noticed Peggy crying. "Sara went over to her and put her head on my mom's lap and stayed there for a while. I was thinking that if she can do that here, imagine the difference she will make with the patients." To learn more about licensed therapy dogs like Sara, visit Canine Companions at canine.org.

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