SPL HEALTH
56 StPeteLifeMag.com May/June 2020
PHOTO/MARCIA BIGGS
ST. PETERSBURG - For Ann Marie Varga and her chocolate lab
Gunner, Wednesday means a trip to the hospital.
But no worries, neither has a medical issue. Wednesday is
Gunner’s day to visit the kids at Johns Hopkins All Children’s
Hospital. It’s a day of hugs and scratches and happy faces … and
maybe a few treats. Gunner and Varga are part of the hospital’s
Animal Assisted Therapy Team. They are one of some 25 pet
therapy teams who visit Johns Hopkins to try to bring a ray of
sunshine into the rooms of sick children.
Many of the kids they visit have life-threatening illnesses – often
cancer – but the appearance of a dog can change the atmosphere
and provide a positive focus for patients, their families and even
therapy program at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.
Dog teams visit seven days a week, she says, visiting up to 60
patients a day depending on the number of dogs. The pups
come in all sizes and breeds from big huggable labs like Gunner
to dachsunds. “All the dogs are trained, tested and registered
says Frohnerath. “They all have to have the demeanor to be
gentle, social and emotionally supportive.” The handlers, too, are
counseled on how to interact with sick patients, to avoid talking
about their illness and focus on the animal or uplifting thoughts.
Pet therapy is not new in a hospital setting. It’s been an accepted
Lullabies and Labradors
BY MARCIA BIGGS
/StPeteLifeMag.com