Wet Noses and Waggy Tails Help VA Employees Find Peace through “Pause for Paws”

And in return, the therapist licked her face.

This encounter at the VA Portland Health Care System was not a typical first meeting of an employee and their Whole Health therapist. But the Canine Assisted Therapy Program now known as “Pause for Paws” is anything but typical, and according to Amy Williams, Whole Health Nurse Educator at the VA Portland, that was intentional.

“With almost every single dog encounter, employees started connecting with one another about their own pets,” Williams said. “They told stories and anecdotes about the silly way their pets request love and attention. They shared about the loss of their pets and comforted one another.”

Williams said employees even started making plans for playdates with their pets outside of work together.

“The fostering of healthy employee relationships is something that will continue to bring benefits even after the dogs have left [their offices] Williams added.

Wolochow, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Local Recovery Coordinator in the Mental Health Division at the VA’s Portland campus, concurs.

“It brought staff together for a joyful and relaxing moment,” she said. “And that also included feeling validated by those who coordinated this event for us.”

For Wolochow, it was an opportunity to take a break from any work-induced stress.

“I am confident that regular visits from a therapy dog will boost my own morale and that of my colleagues,” she said. “It brings us joy when our work is often consistently involving sadness and other very challenging negative emotions and stories from Veterans.”

Indeed, the results of national VA studies concur. The VA’s 2015 Healthcare Analysis Information Group (HAIG) survey found that 68 of 131, or 52 percent of VA systems offer AAT for Veterans, up from 25 percent in 2011. Like acupuncture and a number of mind-body approaches, AAT is one of the most commonly used complementary approaches available to Veterans.

VA Portland is taking the same approach to their workforce. And thanks to a recent VA Portland employee survey, respondent data supports the implementation of this program. The top response by a substantial margin during the 2025 All Staff Experience Survey was a request for animal assisted therapy. The reason; employee burnout—60 percent of respondents reported experiencing at least one symptom of burnout, up from 51 percent reported during the 2024 survey.

Mariel Grimord-Isham, Harm Reduction Coordinator at the VA Portland’s Substance Addiction Treatment Program, had the privilege of meeting a large male yellow labrador retriever named Alban. She admitted that she never thought she needed time with a therapy dog but due to increasing demands and stress in her job, she found she could feel more at ease and face her feelings and emotions.

“I just hugged him and let my emotions melt into him,” Grimord-Isham said. “I felt tears well up and that was a relief. I felt more at ease and could sit with my feelings.”

It was an “ah-ha!” moment for Grimord-Isham, as she recognized the benefits the dog therapy teams could bring to her clients in her mental health world.

“I realized that I could recommend animal assisted therapy to my clients, who are struggling with intense emotions, grief and distress,” she said.

The positive impact of living among animals as pets reaches far back in history.  The biophilia hypothesis holds that human beings are genetically predisposed to have an affinity with other organisms. The hygiene hypothesis posits that being around pets leads to exposures to allergens that strengthen the immune system, and therefore being around animals, especially as a child, can give rise to certain health benefits.

Indeed humans have been connected with animals since before recorded history, as is evidenced by cave paintings from around the world. The first documented use of animals therapeutically was in ninth-century Belgium, when people with disabilities were asked to care for farm animals. Animals were used in the 1700s at the York Retreat, a progressive “lunatic asylum” for its times. In the 1800s, Florence Nightingale recommended animals as companions for the infirm.

Overall, studies of Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) show a favorable benefit to interacting with dogs and cats. A 2014 systematic review concluded that “AAT may be an effective treatment for mental and behavioral disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, and alcohol/drug addictions.” A 2011 review of multiple studies concluded, “Overall, ownership of domestic pets, particularly dogs, is associated with positive health benefits.” There are theories that this is due to improvements in mood and emotional state, as well as changes in autonomic activity and endothelial function, which equates, among other things, to lower blood pressure and fewer cardiac arrhythmias.

Furthermore, a 2012 review concluded that, in addition to many clear benefits for hospitalized children, AAT also has social, mental, psychological, and emotional benefits for hospitalized adults. The review found that cancer patients reported that AAT lowered their anxiety and distracted them in positive ways from the hospital environment. People living with mental illnesses—including schizophrenia and behavioral and mood disorders—had improved quality of life, self-efficacy, and ability to cope. They also experienced more social engagement.

Additionally, people with acquired brain injury and cognitive impairment benefit from AAT in combination with other cognitive rehabilitation techniques. A growing body of research is showing promise for PTSD as well.

Jeanette Warren, Whole Health Nurse Educator and Employee Well-Being Program Coordinator drew inspiration from historical research, and anecdotal feedback from her fellow employees, which helped her identify the beneficial impact of AAT for employee well-being.

“We wanted to bring AAT to our staff for a long time,” Warren said. “We’ve had AAT intermittently for patients, so there was already a precedent set for having this in our facility.”

Warren, who took over the job duties of Whole Health Employee Well-being Coordinator in April said AAT is just one facet of a host of offerings from Whole Health for VA Portland’s employees. She cited many challenges to well-being, which were exacerbated by the COVID pandemic. Following a 2024 study, majority of the nursing staff had reported experiencing at least one symptom of burnout. Coupled with increased turnover rates and other staffing challenges, Williams felt AAT was one way to get the biggest results from the smallest investment.

“It costs nothing to partner with our volunteer organizations, and it doesn’t require taking hours off work to participate,” Williams said. “It was also a way we could bring well-being to the staff at their units, especially the inpatient units rather than asking them to come to us. This is a huge benefit in a time of very low staffing levels.”

Initially, Warren’s team reached out to VA Portland stakeholders, including those in Infection control, CDCE, EMS, VA Police, the Director’s Office, Rehab service, and others, to ensure their fledgling AAT program followed all the correct protocols. They also identified a local organization who could provide professional therapy dogs who are highly trained and followed directives on Animal-Assisted Interventions and Services.

Enter Dove Lewis Emergency Animal Hospital. A well-known and popular program initiated by the non-profit Dove Lewis in 2013 known as the Portland Area Canine Therapy Team, or PACTT, provides specialized dogs retired from the Guide Dogs for the Blind program. The program started as a grass-roots effort has grown to 109 teams which visit more than 400 locations throughout the Portland Metro area including the Portland International Airport, nursing homes, hospitals and detention centers such as Clark County Juvenile and Specialty Courts.

The program’s director, Kathy Loter, says PACTT is the only canine therapy program permitted and badged with the Port of Portland International Airport, allowing them access into secured areas supporting TSA agents, other airport employees and travelers. They are also the only canine program working with the Portland Police Bureau supporting officers and their training division, and the FBI Portland Division’s five teams that are members of the FBI Portland Citizens Academy.

“PACTT brings comfort, relief, and joy to thousands of vulnerable adults and children each year,” Loter said. “Last year, PACTT’s teams volunteered over 20,000 hours of their time.”

The dogs, which are known for their exceptionally calm temperament, and have undergone rigorous training to work in high-stress or complex environments, are paired with a committed human handler. They and their human handlers volunteered more than 20,000 hours in 2025.

“We place teams in locations to ensure that facility, the handler, and the dog are a good fit,” Loter says. “By taking the environment and the population into consideration with the dog’s personality and temperament, PACTT can create a wonderful, comforting environment for people in need. Teams can deploy to a site within 24 hours for crisis response.”

Loter says the partnership between PACTT and VA Portland has had a positive impact on everyone involved, including herself.

“I feel deeply grateful for the impact our therapy teams are having on VA employees,” Loter says. “Being present during these visits allows teams to truly feel how meaningful each interaction is, and I hear that reflected in the way they describe their experiences.” 

At the VA’s Portland campus, the dog teams have already visited critical care, short stay/PACU, Emergency Department, wards on 8D, 9D, 9C, 5D, 5C, outpatient mental health, SATP and more. They are scheduled to visit EMS, BIOMED, NFS, R&D, and other areas that can often feel neglected as they do not always provide direct patient care, Williams said.

“It has been a privilege to see the joy these dogs have brought and the connection they have fostered,” Williams said.

Additionally, while Whole Health has yet to see a larger interest from the VA Portland’s Vancouver campus and their Community Outpatient Clinics, or CBOCs, the group is hopeful that discussions amongst VA Portland employees and increased awareness about the AAT program will result in visits to those locations.

“We have scheduled all the visits and the timing is very dependent on when dog teams are available. We try as best we can to accommodate the preferred time by the department [point of contact] who initiated the request but are limited by dog team availability,” Williams said.

In anticipation of increased requests for visits, Williams’ team continues to actively recruit volunteers of dog teams through Dove Lewis, Paws for Love Therapy Dogs, Inc., and Pet Partners, with recurring visits to locations.

“Our vision is that we will be able to continue to provide animal assisted therapy to VA employees and veterans at the requested locations on a recurring basis to promote employee well-being, improve veteran satisfaction, experience, and health outcomes,” Williams said. “We want VA employees to know that this offering is a priority for them and that they are encouraged to “pet the dog” and receive the benefits of AAT.”

For all their hard work, the dogs ask for very little in return, Loter says.

“I’m continually thankful for our volunteers’ dedication to showing up for people who may just need a quiet moment to collect themselves,” Loter said. “These dogs ask for nothing more than a little love, and they return it tenfold.”

Supervisors are encouraged to reach out to Whole Health for more information, and to fill out their request form to have a dog team visit their sections. The MS Form application can be found on SharePoint at:  https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=Ixtf6a-r7kWCHberJRqzv5R0XOhOdYVHqi9LsHklvQ5UQU9KUklKME1OVDg4Q0E0RVFBT1pDUDg4OC4u&route=shorturl

To read more about VA Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT), visit https://www.va.gov/WHOLEHEALTHLIBRARY/tools/animal-assisted-therapies.asp

To find out more about the Dove Lewis-Portland Area Canine Therapy Teams (PACTT), go to:
https://www.dovelewis.org/press/therapy-dogs-holiday-visits?utm_term=&utm_campaign=NEW+PMAX+%7C+LOCAL+SUPPORT&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=6774589368&hsa_cam=22458907367&hsa_grp=&hsa_ad=&hsa_src=x&hsa_tgt=&hsa_kw=&hsa_mt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22458912935&gclid=Cj0KCQiAp-zLBhDkARIsABcYc6uwctYAZb0p4Qjay8wyOblvS4W-DZJecK_qejOho6ZYMTAkdB-UF08aAqlgEALw_wcB