Paws and Healing: The Impact of Facility Dogs on Patient Recovery
For thousands of years, dogs have evolved alongside humans, developing the ability to understand and respond to our emotions. Their enhanced sense of smell and hearing allows them to detect subtle chemical changes in our bodies, enabling them to interpret our feelings.
This extraordinary perception helps dogs provide comfort and support during stress, reducing loneliness and depression, and positively impacting our mental health.
In addition to their acute sensory abilities, service dogs excel at interpreting human body language to assist their handlers. They recognize facial expressions, gestures, and posture to understand emotions and needs. For example, a wagging finger, a smile, or a frown can communicate feelings of happiness, approval, or disapproval, and service dogs are trained to respond appropriately to these cues. Research indicates that service dogs can process and interpret fundamental human emotions like joy, anger, and sadness simply by observing their handlers, allowing them to provide necessary support and care.
In 2019, Dr. Cindee Rolston, a dedicated rehab psychologist at Central Virginia VA Health Care System (CVHCS), identified the tremendous potential of facility dogs to elevate patient recovery experiences.
“I applied to see if I would be eligible to bring a Canine Companion to work with me,” Rolston said. “To aid in helping patients overcome depression and anxiety, pain and stress that are ever-present when folks are recovering from a life-altering injury or illness.”
With a clear vision, Dr. Rolston applied to introduce a Canine Companion into her rehabilitation practice.
Canine Companions is one of the leading organizations for service dogs in the nation. They provide service dogs to adults, children, and Veterans with disabilities. They also pair facility dogs with professionals in healthcare, criminal justice, and educational settings.
These highly trained canines are essential partners for skilled professionals, bringing a unique therapeutic dynamic that is making a significant difference in patient care. Their presence is already felt in schools, medical facilities, and criminal justice organizations, proving the extensive benefits of the human-animal bond.
Rolston completed a comprehensive 10-day training course at Canine Companions’ Northeast Training Center, in September 2020, and was paired with Clara, a 2½-year-old service-trained dog. Clara, born in California in May of 2018 and raised by a committed volunteer puppy-raiser in New Jersey, had undergone rigorous training, mastering over 50 commands to serve effectively.
“When Clara and I passed our test at the end of our training together,” Rolston said. “We became an Assistance Dog International-certified Facility Dog Team.”
The two went to work and quickly, Clara established herself as an indispensable resource at the rehab hospital where Rolston worked in Richmond, Virginia.
Clara’s impact was immediate and profound, bringing joy and healing not just to patients but to their families and the staff.
In June 2023, Dr. Rolston joined a rehab team dedicated to Veterans and active-duty service members at the Central Virginia Spinal Cord Injury and Disorders (SCI&D) program at CVHCS. Recognizing that no service-trained facility dog had ever been introduced at this site, Dr. Rolston took the initiative to bring Clara’s services to CVHCS’s Veterans.
Armed with compelling evidence of the positive effects facility dogs had in other VA centers, Rolston advocated for Clara’s inclusion in patient care.
By November 2023, Rolston and Clara began their bi-monthly volunteer visits, enriching the lives of inpatients eager for canine companionship. From June 2023 to March 2025, Rolston was unwavering in her efforts to formalize Clara’s role, engaging with leadership and staff to emphasize the benefits of Animal Assisted Therapy.
Every conversation aimed at ensuring patient safety and well-being reinforced a commitment to providing the highest quality of care.
“Clara serves as an amazing ambassador for all kinds of service dogs,” Rolston said. “With her ever-growing repertoire of behaviors, she can demonstrate how a service dog might be of use to someone with a new spinal cord injury, as she uses her nose to activate automatic door openers or close doors and retrieves dropped items and positions herself so the individual can grasp it before she lets go.”
Dr. Rolston is especially proud of Canine Companions’ mission to pair service dogs with Veterans, ensuring that all dogs and their training come at no cost. This initiative greatly enhances accessibility for Veterans seeking the companionship and support they need during their recovery.
In March 2025, a pivotal policy at CVHCS was approved: the establishment of a Facility Dog Therapy Program, officially allowing Clara to be an integral part of the team. This new policy recognizes Clara's critical role as a clinical tool within the inpatient SCI&D rehab team, and Dr. Rolston is enthusiastic about introducing her as the first canine rehab teammate. The partnership between Rolston and Clara is reshaping the landscape of rehabilitation therapy, combining compassion with capability in a powerful therapeutic alliance. Together, they are forging a new path at CVHCS that not only brings hope and joy to Veteran patients but also underscores the undeniable healing power of connection in the journey of recovery.
Learn more about the Canine Companions program here.