Facility Dog Program Builds on Proven Success

Learn about the positive effect canines have on patient performance and the future of the facility dog program at Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation.

Since September 2020, Peru, the facility dog at Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation White Oak, has encouraged and worked alongside individuals going through physical and occupational therapy during their recovery journeys. After documenting the expertly trained canine’s success, Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation is expanding the facility dog program to better serve more patients.

During rehabilitation sessions, Peru helps inpatient rehabilitation patients overcome life-changing events, such as a stroke or injury, practice activities of daily living and improve mobility. Peru’s presence, demeanor and honed skills improve therapy sessions by promoting participation and reducing anxiety.

“Peru is a working dog and an employee of the hospital,” said Heather Tropiano, PsyD, rehabilitation psychologist for Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation and Peru’s handler. “She is part of the rehab team and greatly enhances the experience for our patients.”

The Powers of a Facility Dog

Unlike a therapy dog, which has a volunteer handler and provides emotional support to people served, Peru has received rigorous training to work as a facility dog. The nearly 8-year-old half-Labrador and half-golden retriever was bred to be a service dog. After two years in the Canine Companions program, however, the staff realized Peru would be better placed as a facility dog, helping dozens of people every week, rather than just helping one person as a traditional service dog.

“Peru is extensively trained and vetted,” Dr. Tropiano said. “She must be retested regularly to ensure she is still up to the job. We as a team also have to go through recertification every year. It’s a lot of ongoing work.”

Peru knows more than 50 commands that allow her to assist patients with daily tasks, including:

• Helping a patient take off a jacket
• Opening or closing drawers
• Pushing a button to summon an elevator
• Picking up dropped items, such as keys and pill bottles

During rehabilitation sessions, Peru assists people with tasks, such as kicking a soccer ball back and forth or retrieving rings thrown on a stand.

“If someone has had a stroke, getting them to stand or take their first steps can be overwhelming and anxiety-provoking,” Dr. Tropiano said. “Having Peru work with them one-on-one can help them get closer to their rehabilitation goals without them even realizing it because she is such a novel and engaging distraction.”

Providing Inspiration and Help

Peru has worked with Dr. Tropiano, a former military psychologist for the U.S. Air Force, since 2020. When someone enters rehabilitation, they are asked if they are open to working with Peru. No one is forced to interact with her if they are allergic to or scared of dogs.

Therapists individualize Peru’s work according to each person’s therapy goals. Peru can help people improve balance, dexterity and other important skills that support independence and quality of life.

“We collaborate with the physical, occupational and speech therapists to coordinate how Peru can best fit into their multidisciplinary care plan,” Dr. Tropiano said. “We’re always brainstorming new, creative ways to use Peru to help people get back to their lives.”

Intriguing Research

Since integrating Peru into Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation, the team has noticed improved outcomes for patients who interacted with Peru. To quantify their anecdotal evidence, they developed a research study. Over a three-month period, 69 patient volunteers participated in the study.

During a physical therapy session, the patient performed a variety of tasks twice – once with Peru, and once without. The team measured task persistence, blood pressure, heart rate, pain rating and rate of perceived exertion and uncovered confirming results. When working with Peru, patients:

• Experienced no significant changes in reported pain, rate of perceived exertion or vital signs with or without engagement with Peru.
• Performed tasks for approximately 2.6 minutes longer. This result held up whether engaged with Peru on the first or second attempt and regardless of the amount of fatigue experienced prior to engagement with Peru on any given task.
• Stated that they felt more comfortable performing the task with Peru, despite pain or anxiety they felt in the moment.

“There are real, evidence-based reasons why working on goal-directed tasks with a facility dog can improve patient outcomes and satisfaction,” Robertson said. “Surprisingly, no one else is doing this research.”

The team at Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation aims to fill this gap by conducting additional research. They hope to expand their studies to include occupational and speech therapy and investigate various questions, including why patients experience improved performance with facility dogs.

Expanding the Facility Dog Program

With such successful findings and the impending retirement of Peru, Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation expanded the facility dog program into a second facility. In February 2025, Marcy joined the team at Adventist HealthCare Rehabilitation Rockville.

Occupational therapist Colette Calomeris is the handler of the 3-year-old half-Labrador and half-golden retriever. If things go as planned, the program will continue to expand in the coming years.

“We would love as many dogs and handlers as possible,” said Julie Robertson, PT, DPT, clinical physical therapist at Adventist Healthcare Rehabilitation. “The goal is to expand into our outpatient clinics and have more dogs in our inpatient rehabilitation units as well.”

Growing the program requires patience, energy and the right personnel. Handlers are the full-time caretakers of their dogs. Along with meeting the dog’s daily needs, the handler must undergo extensive and ongoing training to maintain handling certification and ensure the dog continues to maintain command fluency and meet additional standards.

Soon, Peru won’t need to meet these standards, as she is scheduled to retire in early 2026. The transition began in 2024, when Peru began to show signs of burnout. She’s since gone from working five days a week to three. Once her retirement is complete, she’ll be adopted by Dr. Tropiano and will likely become a therapy dog with Canine Companions.

“The canine program gives clinicians and patients the opportunity to think outside the box,” she said. “As an added bonus, it’s a creative way to help with burnout for clinicians and improve the patient experience.”

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