Dog therapy spreads cheer at Valley hospitals

SUN CITY, AZ - It's the last place you might expect to see them, but dozens of dogs are roaming the halls of Valley hospitals spreading cheer along the way.

More than 70 dogs participate in Banner Health's Dog Therapy Program , which is in hospitals in Arizona and Colorado.

The idea is to give patients something medicine often can't: respite from the loneliness of a hospital stay.

The dogs belong to volunteers who stop by once a week to visit with any patients who want a little company.

The dogs undergo temperament testing and are trained for six to twelve months before earning a certification from the state.

Once they're clear, they happily walk the hospital floors allowing patients to pet them and talk to them.

The dogs range from Chihuahuas to Black Laboradors, and patients light up when their paws cross the threshold of their rooms.

Many patients open up about their own pets to the volunteers and staff.

The dogs sit next to the sick, the disabled, the recovering and the pain seems to go away if only for a few minutes.

It's a few minutes where patients aren't thinking about what is keeping them in the hospital, which is good for their physical healing.