Ruby, the Poodle, may not wear an NHS badge, but she’s become one of the most popular visitors at some of London’s mental health facilities. As highlighted in a recent @bbclondon report, the friendly dog is part of a growing animal therapy programme. Moreover, this is now expanding across all 16 sites operated by the Central and North West London NHS Trust. The programme is designed to give people another way to engage with support, particularly those who struggle in conventional treatment environments.
Poodle Ruby is part of NHS Trust’s expanding animal-assisted therapy service
Hospitals can be incredibly loud and chaotic places with chairs scraping and people constantly talking in the corridors. That means therapy animals need to remain calm even when there’s constant activity around them. Katia Stanford, Ruby’s owner and an activity co-ordinator for the trust, told BBC that these animals need to be completely responsive and calm. Part of the role involves remaining gentle and controlled, even when meeting lots of new people. They also need to read situations well and respond appropriately to the people around them.
Katia noted that hypoallergenic dogs can be especially useful because more people are able to spend time with them comfortably, without allergies becoming a concern.
Feedback from people taking part has been encouraging. A service user named Frankie told BBC, “With dogs, there’s no judgement, so it makes it easier to open up.” She found traditional talking treatments tough, but noted that this animal therapy changed things for her. Especially when the calm Poodle sits right beside her. She said that stroking the dog can feel calming during periods of anxiety. Of course, there’s planning involved on the animal side as well. For example, Katia makes sure to limit the number of people in the room so Ruby never gets overwhelmed.
The programme began locally in 2023 and is now being rolled out more widely across the trust. Experts like Dr. Elena Ratschen from the University of York note that more rigorous research is still needed since the field isn’t regulated in the UK yet. However, chief nurse Amanda Pithouse told BBC that the trust has already seen encouraging outcomes, especially among people living with conditions including trauma, dementia, and bipolar disorder.
