YNHCH Dogs in Residence Program

The YNHCH Dogs in Residence Program – launched in June of 2021 with support from The Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation’s Dogs for Joy program that helps to increase the number of dogs who work full-time in children’s hospitals to bring joy to kids battling illness – provides support for in-residence service dogs at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital.

These dogs, known as in-residence dogs, are actually full-time employees of YNHCH who come to work every day and are a critical part of a child’s treatment. They work alongside their child life specialist or recreational therapist handlers to provide a range of consistent and therapeutic interventions like keeping a child calm during a medical procedure or providing an incentive for a child to get out of bed and go for a walk post surgery. From teaching children to learn how to swallow pills to preparing children for surgery by modeling and playing with medical equipment, the dogs are involved in all aspects of our child and family centered care.   

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Our work depends on you. Make a difference by turning your activities into fundraising campaigns to help raise awareness and funds for our cause.

Fundraising is easy. Create a Personal Fundraising Campaign Page in just a few steps:

1. Create a page by clicking the blue “Create a Fundraising Page” button above.

2. Set a goal and customize your campaign page. When entering your goal, make sure there are no commas. (ex. $10000)

3. Spread the word and invite people to donate!