- Look at Ruffles. Someone else to visit.
- We have people that are very stressed
to be a lot of emotions.
And, you know, being able to bring that down
I'm not a problem solver here.
I'm just here to bring smiles.
- The dogs are the bridge that create
the relationship with the other humans.
It lowers our cortisol levels,
increases our oxytocin levels,
which makes us more communicative.
want to talk.
- In that very first clinic,
we got a call from the dental floor
with the dentist saying, look,
this patient has been waiting for hours,
but they are having such extreme anxiety.
And we said, what can we do?
And they said, I think if I can pet
one of those dogs, I'll be okay.
- You can see smiles on faces, shoulders
drop, a deeper breath, belly breath
and a sigh of little relief
that you're going to get to interact
with someone who's non-judgmental
and just meet you where you are.
- I became the first beneficiary of HOPE
Dog Services
because we were expecting some very critical
medical supplies.
to show up,
And we had
just learned the day before the clinic
that they had not arrived.
and Raquel and Pickles walked in.
- The dogs
actually smell the adrenaline, dump in
our human bodies,
and we train them to go towards that.
- Here I am in this very stressful moment,
and Pickles comes up to me
and essentially gives me her doggy hug.
And I got down on the floor with her
and wrapped my arms around her.
And for that moment,
the stress was absolutely alleviated.
And that's what happens for our patients.
We wouldn't do the clinic without them.
They've become part of our family.
- Make him smile. That's your job.