CMH welcomes Canada's first-ever hospital therapy dog

Cambridge Memorial Hospital is the first hospital in the country to employ a service dog to help staff in high-stress situations.

Ember, a black Labrador, was trained by the organization National Service Dogs, and has so far been very well received by staff, said Kim MacDougall, Ember's primary handler. A hospital employee, MacDougall was one of the first to suggest the idea of employing a service dog.

Ember works Monday to Friday, eight hours per day, often visiting many hospital departments in one shift.

Patrick Gaskin, the president of Cambridge Memorial Hospital, was on hand Wednesday morning for a media “meet and greet” with Ember.

The local hospital applied to the program with National Service Dogs because it wanted to support staff as much as possible, Gaskin said. Dogs like Ember are specially trained to improve the mental health and well-being of staff, physicians, midwives and volunteers, and are typically deployed in high-stress environments such as police stations and fire halls.

"We haven't been able to catch up on the backlog of necessary surgeries so that puts stress on all of us because we want to serve our community,” Gaskin said.

Gaskin said the hospital is excited to be a trailblazer in Canada and plans to conduct research into the impacts Ember has on staff over time. The hospital is looking to partner with the University of Guelph to do the research.

"Were excited to be the first hospital to be able to do the research on this,” Gaskin said.

Rochelle Barber, the director of operations at National Service Dogs, was happy the organization could help the hospital. Ember is excited to meet almost anyone, she said.

"She is so sweet and cuddly and kind,” Barber says. “She’s perfect for this placement.”

After a difficult two years triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, stakeholders hope Ember can provide a new type of therapy that could end up benefiting staff at other Canadian hospitals.

"Ember is paving the way for future placements in the healthcare sector,” said Emma Bluhm, the communications coordinator at National Service Dogs. “We look forward to hearing about the amazing work NSD Ember will do at CMH.”

Ember answers to a number of different cues, including “close,” in which she sits in between a person’s legs so the person can pet her. Barber said the weight of the dog’s head also helps people relax, as if they are using a weighted blanket.

"She always brightens my day,” MacDougall says. “When it's time to go to work she is always eager and ready to go.”

Handlers for Ember went through extensive training with National Service Dogs to make sure it would be a good fit. So far, Ember has been able to help many hospital workers, including at debriefs where tragic or traumatic events are discussed.

The cost of the service dog is being covered by a donation from the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation, which provided a grant to pay for Ember’s vet and food bills for a decade.