In honor of St. Francis Feast Day, Providence Hospital Chaplain Services conducted a Blessing of the Animals ceremony for eight of its therapy dogs.
Each dog was blessed individually and a special prayer was delivered to the whole group.
These four-legged friends roam the hospital halls, looking for patients to comfort along the way. The handlers have seen the healing power their dogs have on patients.
"I just thought it was really special. It's a show of appreciation and love for what our Pet Partners do" said Jean Jones, co-chairman for Providence Pet Partners. "When they put that vest on, you can just see their demeanor change. They know they're about to do something wonderful and when they hit the lobby they're looking for who's going to give them attention."
The Providence Pet Therapy Program has 17 pet partner teams who offer this beloved benefit to our patients.
To ensure the safety its patients, Providence requires that dogs and their owners register through Pet Partners and receive proper training and certification for interacting with patients.
To learn more about the training and evaluation process, click here.
Copyright 2018 KXXV. All rights reserved.
