Down Time

Cora relaxing at at home.

 We've heard many a person over the last few months describe the impact that Cora and the other members of our Caring Canines program at Mayo Hospital have brought to them.  It's always a special treat to watch their faces brighten when we arrive.  Some are slow to warm up to the idea of an animal in a medical setting, but they are quickly won over.  Even the physicians who might have had some question as to the benefits of the program, now grin and smile as they pass in the hallway watching the interaction between patient and dog.  I even overhead one say that the patients come back to them less anxious, enabling them to relax during their treatment procedures.  Relaxation is a prime factor in healing.  Therapy dog interaction allows the patient to release "feel good hormones".  AAT and AAA should become a mainstream medically accepted intervention.