Therapy Dog Joins New Brunswick Children's Hospital Staff

Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick unveiled their newest therapy dog.

Maui is a specially trained therapy dog that will visit with sick hospitalized children and their families while they are admitted to the hospital. She is a 22-month-old Golden Retriever and will be on-site full-time at the hospital starting Monday, January 9, 2023.

Maui will be welcomed in a special ceremony and party at the New Brunswick hospital at 3 p.m. Monday. It costs between $25,000 and $30,000 to fund a dog like Maui. The funding for Maui was provided by Mickey’s Kids Charitable Foundation, a non-profit organization that aims to get as many service/therapy dogs into the NY/metro area as possible.

In addition to paying for Maui, Mickey’s Kids has also partnered with NorthStar VETS in Robbinsville, NJ to cover all costs of vet services for Maui’s entire life.

Children's Specialized is part of the RWJBarnabas network. The hospital has had therapy dogs in the past, although the program was interrupted for several years by the coronavirus pandemic, which greatly reduced the number of people allowed into the hospital.

Her owner/handler is Katie Ahlers, a recreational therapy supervisor, and the two will travel across various departments within the hospital to provide special “dog therapy” to patients, their families, and staff members.

Even doctors and nurses can benefit by having a therapy dog on site, according to RWJBarnabas, which is the second largest healthcare system in the state.

Data indicates that dogs can have a profoundly positive impact: Petting dogs promotes the production of mood-enhancing hormones such as serotonin, prolactin, and oxytocin. Interactions with dogs have also been shown to have a regulatory effect on blood pressure, lower respiration rates, as well as reducing the amount of pain medication patients required to achieve comfort. Dogs have also been shown to increase physical and mental stimulation and motivation.

Maui was donated — entirely at no cost to the hospital — by Patient Paws Service Dogs, Inc.

Patient Paws Service Dogs is located in Alpharetta, Georgia, and trains and raises dogs to be given to hospitals and to help people who have mobility issues, at no cost to them.

Patient Paws Service Dogs, Inc., is a 100-percent volunteer-based charity with no paid employees. They rely solely on the generosity of donors to help accomplish their mission. They never charge the recipient for their facility dogs or service dogs.

Story by: Carly Baldwin, Patch Staff
Photos from the unveiling ceremony at RWJBarnabas