Therapy dogs find a place in health care

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KTVB. com Boise, Id. - Robbie Johnson

MERIDIAN -- Dogs have been used for years in law enforcement and in hospitals as therapy dogs.

But some think man's best friend can do even more in the field of medicine.

A dog in Meridian seems to have a special sense when it comes to your health.

Look in the window of Provencia Digestive Health and you'll see a unique staff member.

Teddy is a poodle-golden retriever cross.

"His job here is to love and be loved and he carries it out daily," said Stephanie Kennedy, Provencia Digestive Health.

A simple job description, but Stephanie Kennedy says his skills go much further.

"Therapy dogs are truly the wave of the future I believe," said Stephanie.

Thirteen-year-old Asa Cram is a patient at Provencia where Stephanie offers alternative medicine for digestion and emotional needs. Asa’s father was killed and his mother died of cancer. Teddy is there during Asa's appointments, offering dog therapy -- and it helps.

"I think it’s a good thing to have him in here because he is just a fun little thing. If you are feeling sad or not very happy, he seems to kind of know that," said Asa.

Teddy makes people feel better, even delivering their supplies when patients leave the office.

But does Teddy have the power to do even more? Stephanie thinks so.

"He seems to be able to sense the state of health of some folks," said Stephanie.

She even noticed Teddy's behavior change around sick people at a nursing home.

"He has gone to the nursing home before and had a difficult time with all the smells with all the folks that had catastrophic diseases there," said Stephanie.

There are skeptics, but in some cases researchers have discovered some evidence that man's best friend, the dog, may even be able to detect cancer in people thanks to their sense of smell.

Stephanie can't say if Teddy can do that or not, but based on what he can already do, she thinks it's worth looking deeper into the possibility of dog disease detection.

"I think it’s a promising area and I hope we continue to do research and to give these animals the credit they obviously have the skills of right now," said Stephanie.

The Pine Street Foundation, an alternative medicine center outside San Francisco, did a study that they say shows some evidence dogs can smell certain cancers.