A round of a-paws for therapy dogs

Famous for his “big floppy ears that drag along the ground” and the way he “wags his tail and wants to be around everybody,” Steven can be a welcome distraction from the challenges of being in hospital.

“It's a very stressful role, so sometimes it's nice just to have a couple minutes out of your day where you can focus on something else other than work,” said Elle, a psychiatric nurse.

“For consumers as well, it helps them step out of what they're going through, and gives that therapeutic benefit to everybody.”

Steven’s work involves walking around the units and wards, receiving pats and spending time with people to help reduce stress, alleviate pain and bring about a sense of calm.

“It breaks up their day, makes them smile, it makes them chat about something that's completely different to anything they've talked about today,” Janette said.

“So, it might be about dogs, but it might be about something completely different. It might be about football.”

Steven is one of six pet therapy dogs that visit The Alfred and Caulfield Hospital. To become a pet therapy team, volunteers and their dogs go through an extensive recruitment process involving interviews, screening and behaviour training.

“I’ve been doing it for 14 years now, and I love meeting all the different people,” Janette said.

“I love seeing them smile. I like seeing the dog smile. You can see Steven smiling now.”