The ‘dog-tor’ is in: Sutter Medical celebrates 20th anniversary of canine support for patients
Michelle Koopman was 5 years old when she was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a fatal blood condition where the bone marrow does not generate enough new blood cells. Koopman endured several years of treatment, which included heavy medication, rounds of chemotherapy and several days of feeling sick and weak.
Koopman recalled one particular birthday which she spent in Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento. After going through another rough round of chemotherapy, she buried herself in bed and refused to speak or acknowledge her parents’ attempts to cheer her up.
“I was just laying in bed sleeping, not moving,” Koopman said. “My parents got me a cake for my birthday, but I didn’t care.”
Then Millie, a friendly yellow Labrador, paddled into the room and nuzzled up to Koopman’s bed. The girl immediately sat up and started petting the dog, talking with Millie and smiling.
“It was a complete 180 switch,” Koopman said. “There were some days I only smiled for Millie.”
Canine Companions, informally dubbed as “dog-tors,” have served in the Child Life Facility Dog Program at the midtown Sacramento hospital since 2003. Sutter Medical Center hosted a celebration in honor of the program’s 20th anniversary on Wednesday within its lobby, where dozens of visitors interacted with 12 service dogs and posed with the pooches in a photo booth.
Koopman, 23, now serves as a volunteer trainer with her mom and has trained puppies for Canine Companions since 2020. Anyone can apply to be a volunteer puppy-raiser for Canine Companions, helping to teach puppies basic commands from home starting at 8 weeks old. After a year to a year and a half, the pup is then moved to Santa Rosa, where professional trainers will teach the dogs service skills.
One day, Koopman said she hopes to join the ranks of these professional trainers.
All 12 of Sutter Health’s Dog Facility members were trained through Canine Companions. Jennifer Johnson, Sacramento Children’s Center Child Life Specialist, was matched with her second service dog, Glimmer, a 9-year-old Labrador, seven years ago. Johnson was one of the original handlers for the Dog Facility program, who worked with Millie back in 2006.
“I’ve been working with a dog by my side over half my career,” Johnson said, who’s worked as a child life specialist for 32 years.
Hazel, a blonde Labrador retriever, was the first Canine Companion to step her furry paw through the hospital’s doors in August 2003, when she was hired as a full-time employee at the Sutter Children’s Center. She was later joined by Millie three years later.
“The Facility Dog Program has touched the lives of countless individuals, bringing joy and solace in times of need,” Johnson said in the program’s news release. “This anniversary celebration is an opportunity to honor their extraordinary service and the impact they have made in our community.”
Shannon Miller’s daughter, Claire, was diagnosed with cancer when she was just a few years old, and Hazel frequented her daughter’s room during several visits in and out of the hospital. Miller said her daughter has collected stickers of all the service dogs, which are now spread around the house.
Miller described the interaction between her daughter and the service dogs as “priceless.” In all three years of treatment, traveling up and down California to see different specialists, Sutter Health was the only hospital that provided service dogs.
“As a parent when (your kid) is fighting and they don’t feel good, the best gift ever is to maker her smile,” Miller said.
