Five CHLA team members pose with therapy dogs at Dog Therapy Appreciation Day
Serving the Community

Dog Therapy Celebrates a Program of the Highest Pedigree

April 14, 2025
by 
Caitlin Kryl
 
The Amerman Family Foundation Dog Therapy program recently celebrated reaching 100,000 interactions with patients, team members, and families in 2024.
Two young patients wearing matching hospital scrubs pose with a dog therapy volunteer, a Bernese Mountain Dog, at Dog Therapy Appreciation Day.
Two patients pose with a therapy dog.

The excitement was palpable across the main floor of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles: It seemed like everyone was either eagerly heading toward the celebration or just leaving it with grins still on their faces.

The dogs are here. By the dozens.

On April 10, the Amerman Family Foundation Dog Therapy Program hosted “Dog Therapy Appreciation Day” celebrating the special connection between CHLA and its therapy dog team. 

Therapy dog Bruno, sporting a CHLA bandana and his personal CHLA volunteer badge, poses for the camera.
Dog therapy volunteer, Bruno, will soon celebrate his 16th birthday.

Inside the party, therapy dogs mingled with patients, families, and CHLA team members who were invited to take photos, collect coveted therapy dog trading cards, and color specially designed pages with dogs’ faces on them. 

The Dog Therapy Program will celebrate 25 years in 2026. What started at CHLA in 2001 with just a couple of volunteers and their dogs has expanded to include around 125 dogs of all shapes, sizes, and pedigrees. 

Many teams, like Bruno and his partner, Mikka, have volunteered for more than 10 years. 

“Dogs aren't just a novelty here,” says Kate Buhrmaster, Director of the program. “They're partners in the much bigger goal of making this a wonderful environment for recovery.”

Dog Therapy, by the numbers

A group of CHLA team members pose with a white poodle at Dog Therapy Appreciation Day.
Patients, family members, and CHLA team members were encouraged to pose for pictures with Dog Therapy volunteers at Dog Therapy Appreciation Day.

One of the most inclusive and innovative programs of its kind, the Dog Therapy Program recruits, trains, and supports therapy dogs and their human counterparts to visit a wide—and constantly expanding—variety of clinical settings. The program visits 14 inpatient areas, from the Newborn and Infant Critical Care Unit (NICCU), to rehabilitation, to oncology. Volunteers also visit 16 outpatient areas like the Infusion Center and the Emergency Department.

A teenage patient sits in a wheelchair and poses with two dog volunteers at Dog Therapy Appreciation Day.
A patient poses with two canine volunteers.

In 2024, the program reached a new milestone: Volunteers logged 100,000 interactions with patients, team members, and families.

More of the Dog Therapy Program’s impact, by the numbers: 

  • Dog teams visit from early morning to night, seven days a week, all year round.
  • Teams round every inpatient unit about every 3 days.
  • Teams visit roughly 1,000 patients each month.  
  • The program conducted 900 hours of training in 2024.

Ready for anything

A group of CHLA Dog Therapy volunteers pose with their canine counterparts at Dog Therapy Appreciation Day.
A handful of of Dog Therapy volunteers who helped make Dog Therapy Appreciation Day possible. 

The Dog Therapy program continues to explore new avenues for its skilled workforce to provide much-needed support, even beyond the hospital. 

A large black therapy dog poses in front of a fire engine with two LAFD firefighters.
Dog Therapy volunteer, Weber, poses with two members of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

In February 2025, the program conducted the first training for a new animal-assisted crisis response initiative, ensuring dog therapy teams can provide meaningful support during crises, disasters, and trauma.

They trained with CHLA Clinical Psychologists, Karen Rogers, PhD, and Micah Orliss, PhD, honing essential skills in public access, transportation, and emergency response. Their hands-on training included field exercises like riding the Los Angeles Metro with emergency simulations and visiting first responders at a local Los Angeles Fire Department station.

Two large dogs pose behind a colorful homemade "therapy" dog house at Dog Therapy Appreciation Day.
Two Dog Therapy volunteers pose for a photo op at Dog Therapy Appreciation Day.

In every setting, these highly trained canine companions aim to provide a safe and nonjudgmental source of comfort, companionship, distraction, motivation, and unconditional support for anyone in need.

If the smiles on the faces of the attendees of Dog Therapy Appreciation Day were any indication of the program’s impact, these furry volunteers and their human counterparts are delivering support at an elite level.

Learn more about the Amerman Family Foundation Dog Therapy Program.

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