PUPS IN SCRUBS: DOGS COULD MAKE CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS BETTER FOR EVERYONE

Dogs have been bringing their owners comfort at home for centuries. Now, the pooches are branching out to do it hospitals

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A new study shows that hospital facility dogs can ease pressure on medical staff as well as improve the lives of patients and their families.

Hospital facility dogs are not your average pooches. They're trained animals, working full-time in hospitals with several responsibilities. At the Shizuoka Children's Hospital in Japan, where this study was conducted, the dogs' duties include visiting patients, walking with children to surgery, and cuddling distressed children to help them fall asleep.