Medical Dog Program

In early 2019, Children's Colorado welcomed our very first full-time hospital dog, Ralph Lauren. We called him Ralph, Medical Dog — or Ralph, MD, for short. Several months later, Halo, MD, and Galaxy, MD, joined our pack. These loving pups were just the beginning of a growing and thriving Medical Dog Program.

With the steadfast support of their handlers and child life specialists, our medical dogs help kids in our hospitals on the Anschutz Medical Campus and North Campus and in Colorado Springs heal from illness or injury and cope with the stress or anxiety that may come with a stay in the hospital. 

As highly trained service dogs, our medical dogs are here to help motivate our patients to meet their goals, make the clinical environment feel more like home and give kids a reason to play and smile, even when they're sick.

A growing body of evidence demonstrates that animal-assisted therapy can help patients cope with and heal from health problems. Research shows that interacting with a gentle, friendly pet has benefits including stabilizing blood pressure, diminishing pain, reducing anxiety and even encouraging communication. Expertly paired with clinically trained team members, our hospital dogs provide a gentle, calm presence in what can sometimes be a stressful experience for patients and their families. 

Learn even more about our pups and our growing Medical Dog Program through the frequently asked questions below.

Halo and Galaxy joined the Children’s Colorado family in August 2019. Pringle and Ruffles joined in August 2021. Fun fact: Ruffles and Pringle are the biological niece and nephew of Halo and Galaxy!

Kit started making the rounds in our Pediatric Mental Health Institute in November 2022. And Salida joined the pack in March 2023 as our first medical dog to serve patients in southern Colorado, both at our Colorado Springs hospital and Therapy Care on Telstar.

Ralph served patients in children’s hospitals for nearly eight years before his honorable retirement in 2021.

Our medical dogs are busy pups who spend most of their days helping the patients who need them most. That's why a medical provider must make a request for a medical dog to visit, and then work with our Child Life Department to schedule the visit according to level of need and availability. While we do our best to accommodate all medical requests, we cannot guarantee a visit.

Fortunately for all patients, our medical dogs also visit Seacrest Studios and the T(w)een Zone (for kids ages 10 or older) a couple of times each week. Ask your nurse or child life specialist about their next appearance or how to watch them on TV.

And finally, if you or your child can't meet a medical dog in person, you can always keep up with the Medical Dog Program by following Children's Colorado on Instagram.

While both programs make a world of difference for kids and teens in our hospital, their aims are slightly different. The dogs in the Medical Dog Program are specially trained service dogs who work with clinical staff. These hospital dogs can help calm patients during certain procedures, encourage kids to get up and move around even when they're feeling sick, comfort kids who have experienced trauma and even ease patients' fears by demonstrating how to take medications. In order to request assistance from a medical dog, the child's provider must have a clinical goal in mind and then request a visit through the medical chart. The child life team then evaluates the request and works to accommodate it according to medical needs and availability.

Prescription pets are Children's Colorado's beloved four-legged volunteers who work with their humans to bring cheer and joy to patients in our hospital by visiting patients in common areas and patient rooms. Many of these friendly pups and their owners visit our hospital at Anschutz Medical Campus several times per week. (They also visit our hospital in Colorado Springs.) Just like our medical dogs, prescription pets make the hospital feel more comfortable for patients who are away from their own pets or who could benefit from a friendly presence. Unlike medical dogs, prescription pets cannot be present during a patient’s exam or procedure.

Both medical dogs and prescription pets keep very busy visiting patients almost every day. While we cannot guarantee a dog visit during a child's stay, we will do our very best to accommodate your request through the Prescription Pets Program. To request a visit from a prescription pet, please call the Association of Volunteers at 720-777-6887.