Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital Holds Pup-tacular Facility Dog Olympics

Memorial Healthcare System and Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital held their first ever Facility Dog Olympics.

The event was held at Hollywood-based Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, and brought together patients, families, and team members to support the facility dogs as they competed in a series of Olympic-inspired events. These included Fast and Fur-ious Race (Track & Field), Paw-some Home Handler Agility Challenge and Tug of War.

The judging panel, comprised of patients and Memorial team members, including Aharon Sareli, MD, chief medical officer of Memorial Healthcare System, awarded the gold medal to Golden ‘Goldie’ Delicious, the newest member of the Memorial Animal Assisted Therapy Program.

The facility dogs play a crucial role in the hospitals they serve. Each of Memorial Healthcare System’s six facility dogs underwent extensive training prior to assuming their responsibilities. Carmen Cowart, child life specialist and facility dog handler at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, spoke about how the event showcased the specialized training of the facility dogs.

“These dogs went to training from birth until two, learning up to 80 commands to help patients in the hospital setting. We are going to be using those commands and applying it to the obstacle course, providing fun challenges for patients and families to watch them do.”

When asked about the impact events like the facility dog Olympics have on patients, Carmen said, “Our patients and families love coming here and seeing the dogs, it’s such a comfort for them when they are away from home but it’s also just a fun event for them to get out of their rooms and see all the awesome things that our dogs do.” The facility dogs play an important role in patient care helping rehab patients and providing support to all they encounter. Carmen said, “They provide normalization and comfort for patients while they are here.”