Becoming a Member of the Doggie Brigade

Akron Children's Hospital has an elite group of volunteers known as 'The Doggie Brigade'. Specially screened dogs and their owners travel to the hospital to visit many hospitalized patients each year.

Having personally witnessed many of these visits, I have seen firsthand just how much a brief visit from a dog can do for patients and their families. I have hoped to be a part of a group like this for years now. Here is how we went about achieving our goal:

In January 2011, I completed a Doggie Brigade application for Gilda and a Volunteer application for myself. These were submitted with a check for $45 to Volunteer Services (330.543.8424).

In February 2011, I attended the Delta Workshop at the hospital. This 8-hour class covered the basics of visiting the hospital with your dog including what is expected of both the handler and the dog. We also discussed the Skills Test and the Aptitude Test and got to watch a demonstration of the tests by a Delta Society evaluator and a current Doggie Brigade Team.

On February 24, 2011 I took Gilda to our veterinarian for a physical including a rectal swab (poor dog) and a throat swab. Our vet also completed the necessary forms for Delta Society.

On February 25, 2011 I took the rectal and throat swabs to the Outpatient Laboratory at Akron Children's Hospital for testing.

On Saturday March 12, 2011, We turned in all of our Delta Pet Partners Registration packet and waited for our turn to be screened. Gilda performed beautifully and successfully passed her Delta Society Pet Partner Test! This was the biggest and most important hurdle to becoming a Doggie Brigade member. The test was held at a building adjacent to the hospital. The test itself takes about 20 minutes and is led by an evaluator. Other trained volunteers act as patients, patient families, and a crowd of strangers at various points throughout the test.

On March 24, 2011 we had Gilda's photo taken at the hospital. This is the photo that will be framed and hung on the wall at Akron Children's and the photo that will appear on her official Doggie Brigade 'trading cards' that we will hand out to the patients that we visit.

Also on March 24, 2011 we received our acceptance email from Delta Society which we forwarded to volunteer services. We are now ready to begin our mentoring sessions and we can't wait!