The Paws & Play Team is growing by four paws! We are proud to say we were the first hospital in New York State—and one of the first in the nation—to feature a facility dog program in our Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department at the Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital. Every day since Paws & Play was established in 2017, our very first facility dog, Professor, and his four-legged pals Amos, Moby, and now Summer have been hard at work providing animal-assisted therapy (AAT) as an essential part of pediatric care. Pioneering research conducted by our clinicians has proved its beneficial effect on physical and emotional health. Not only do these loveable dogs bring much-needed comfort and joy to our youngest and most vulnerable patients, they also offer support for our physicians, nurses, and other frontline workers who often struggle with extreme stress and exhaustion.
This summer, our Paws & Play program welcomed a new employee: Summer! Summer, a 14-month old Labrador and golden retriever mix is named after a character in the TV series Yellowstone. She recently graduated from a bond-based training program through Canine Assistants, and works with her primary handler Bethany Pincus, MA, LCAT, MT-BC, in our medical surgical unit and step-down unit, as well as with secondary handler Kaleigh Bieling, CCLS, in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (PCICU). Summer lives with Bethany on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and enjoys snacks and getting to know her new friends.
