Achi news desk-
A dog at Cambridge Memorial Hospital is to be one of the main subjects of a University of Guelph study.
Certified National Service Dog (NSD) service dog Ember has been working at the hospital since May 2022. The Labrador Retriever helps provide mental health support to staff, doctors, midwives and volunteers.
“Her whole role is to be part of the mental health team here at the hospital, to support the team,” said Danielle Forbes, executive director and co-founder of National Service Dogs.
“Some people are excited to see her,” said Jenna Bilanduk, a health and wellness specialist at Cambridge Memorial Hospital. “They see her coming. They’ll turn their chair around and they’ll put their hands on her lap so she’ll jump over their lap.”
Cambridge Memorial said it is the first hospital in Canada to have a dedicated correctional dog provided by National Service Dogs. Amber is not a therapy dog, and rarely interacts with the public. The hospital does have two therapy dogs that can work with patients, but Amber is for staff.
Now, the University of Guelph plans to study the impact amber has.
“[We’re] It’s especially interesting to see how Ember can support the team. More importantly, we want to make sure the staff is OK and also that we keep the staff,” said Bassem Gohar, assistant professor in the Department of Population Medicine at the University of Guelph’s Ontario College of Veterinary Medicine.
Ember National Service Dog certified repair dog at Cambridge Memorial Hospital on April 4, 2024. (Colton Wiens/CTV Kitchener)
Gohar said that with the stress health care workers face on the job and staffing shortages causing burnout, he wanted to see if there was a way to help.
“Finding new ideas to help retain staff and support their mental well-being is essential,” Gohar said.
The study is scheduled to begin on May 1. A graduate student will document Embers’ interactions with staff, and survey workers, to see if there is a correlation between the visits and the staff’s mental health.
“Their perceived support at work, their organizational commitment and their well-being,” Gohar said.
Gohar says the initial research could take weeks to months, just until they have enough information to come to a conclusion and as long as Amber is willing to work.
Amber knows commands like “visit,” which instructs her to rest her head on your lap. (Colton Vince/CTV Kitchener)
Amber will be four years old this year and is expected to spend at least five more years working at the hospital.
“Every single one of our working facility dogs, we aim to retire them around the age of nine or ten. So she actually has five or six years of good work left,” Forbes said.
Amber works eight-hour shifts and visits different teams during the day. She gets numerous breaks to suppress and play. Different teams trained as handlers and alternated with Amber.
Jenna Bilanduk, a health and wellness specialist at CMH, has been one of Amber’s caregivers since she first arrived at the hospital and has seen how the staff and dog have bonded.
“When she started, [she was] A little more gentle in her visits, was a little more careful, understanding her surroundings, the people. I noticed that she was getting stronger as people welcomed her and over time that relationship was built,” Bilanduk said.
“She just looks at you with amber eyes and she just takes it all in,” says Nina Greeley, administrative assistant to the chief of staff and medicine at CMH. (Colton Wins/CTV Kitchener)
National Service Dogs taught Amber how to be close to people, including sitting on laps and giving hugs. She knows some cues to respond to when working with the team. The word “knees” instructs her to climb on someone’s lap. “Closed” leads to Amber going between the legs for a hug. If you say “visit” she will come and lay her head on your lap and “Chin” instructs Amber to lay her head on an outstretched hand.
Bilenduke said bringing Amber to another team also gives her a chance to meet more colleagues.
“They ask questions about Amber, we connect about their pets or other things that might bring them joy at home. Yeah, that really opened that door for me as well,” Bilanduk said.
Amber is due to be four years old and is expected to spend at least five more years working at the hospital. (Colton Vince/CTV Kitchener)
Nina Graley, Administrative Assistant to the Chief of Staff and Medical Affairs at CMH, first met Amber in 2022. She then became Amber’s caregiver in November 2023.
“I have dogs at home. So of course, when someone loves animals and they have to leave their animals at home for any period of time, and you come to the hospital, if you’re in a stressful situation or even if you’re around stressful situations if you’re not directly affected, you do feel it . And then when Amber comes along she makes you feel better,” Greeley said.
Greeley said her relationships at work have also grown since becoming a therapist, adding that Amber has a way of helping her colleagues relax.
“She just looks at you with Humber’s eyes and she just takes it all in,” Greeley said.
