CHOA welcomes two new therapy dogs
ATLANTA - Children's Healthcare of Atlanta has welcomed two new therapy dogs to its Children's Canines for Kids team, Flo and Dory.
Monday marks the first day on the job for Flo and Dory after graduating from Canine Assistants last week.
RELATED: Camp begins at Milton's Canine Assistants
"Dogs work with our providers to minimize stress of the hospital, support the overall social, physical and emotional development of the patient, reduce anxiety, provide distraction from illness and hospitalization, help patients overcome the loss of being separated from their own pets, and offer unconditional love and acceptance," CHOA said in a news release.
The two dogs will each have important roles for CHOA. Flo will be working with kidney transplant, liver transplant, GI intestinal rehabilitation, and outpatient infusion patients. Meanwhile, Dory will be spending lots of time at Camp Twin Lakes, working in the Children's Camp program. When she's not at camp, Dory will make surprise visits to Egleston and Scottish Rite.
RELATED: Atlanta non-profit creates 'Zen Den' for local camp
You can keep up with CHOA's 16 adorable therapy dogs on social media. Last week, they launched the @therapydogsofchoa Instagram page and had more than 1,000 followers in 24 hours.
Canine Assistants is a Georgia-based organization that teaches service dogs and helps place them with recipients across the country. It's also where our sweet Max is from! FOX 5 is helping teach Max to become a service dog for a veteran family.