Angel on a Leash: A Brightening Visit

For two years the Westminster Kennel Club has been running a therapy dog program known as Angel on a Leash and is becoming more and more successful as the years go by. On its way to its 3rd year, the program is designed to help the disabled and those confined in hospitals like the Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital in New York-Presbyterian. With the number of volunteers growing each day, there is much hope for patients as interaction with human and dog continues to promote happiness, conversation, affection, and the like. The program is headed by coordinator Greer Griffith.
Researchers and doctors have proven that therapy with dogs have shown to help reduce a lot of health difficulties like stress and depression at such a significant level, especially for patients and their families. This is the goal of this particular program of the Westminster Kennel Club and now, they are expanding and widening their reach to the public. As of today, Angel on a Leash has expanded its activities a lot more in the physical/operational therapy department, adding more activities for patients to do with the dogs as a way of promoting the healing process by improving one’s physical, social, and cognitive skills. The teams have also become more active in the Child Life department where there are spontaneous dog visits for the patients to enjoy. It not only encourages interaction with the dogs but it promotes positive emotional responses that are known to be helpful and beneficial for the patient’s health.