Animal Assisted Activity Program on Patients and Staff on an Inpatient Surgical Oncology Unit

The purpose of this study is to describe the effects of canine-assisted activity visits on
patients and staff in a hospital setting. The Caring Canines program uses dogs who have been
trained to be obedient, calm and comforting. It involves a visit by a volunteer (called the
dog's handler) and the volunteer's dog that has been trained and tested to have a good
personality and to follow commands. A visit typically lasts about 10-15 minutes with the
patient interacting with the dog while the dog is supervised by the handler. Memorial Sloan
Kettering currently has Caring Canine dogs visit patients but the investigators don't yet
know the impact of these visits on patients and staff. The investigators would like to see
how the Caring Canine visits impact a patients' mood, including anxiety, stress, and sense
of well-being. Two groups of patients will take part in this study - the first group will
receive standard post surgery care and will not receive a visit from the Caring Canines
program and the second group will receive daily visits (Tuesday -Friday) from the Caring
Canines program while they are on M15. The purpose of this study is to look at differences
in well-being between patients who have the visits with the dogs and patients who do not.