I wish more hospitals allowed dogs.....I need to get Pico certified to do visits. He loves people and is so small he can easily get on a bed for pets
Here, you need to wait until 3- 5 years old and then have your pet assessed. If the personality works out, they become part of a team which trains and then certifies. I have a friend who does this with his Golden. Has to be a dog who will not snack, with this dog - he cannot lick unless his owner gives permission - he works amongst chemo patients. He is trained to o in, lay his head on a leg or thigh. Thor works at Yale New Haven every Sunday. He also visits schools in the area during mid-term and finals weeks. A very cool thing his owner started in a library was 'Read with Thor' where a child can be signed up to sit in a room alone with Thor (and owner), parent unless they want to peak through the window. They started this at one library, and now do in multiples.
A very cool story... young boy who would not read out loud for parents or teacher, after a few sessions of sitting with Thor, he read to him! Friend said mom bawled her eyes out watching through the window.
We had hoped to have Brodie assessed when old enough. We worked so hard with exposing him to everything, spent weekends at rehabs and with Alzheimer's patients... he really was wonderful with the ALZ... which meant a ton to me as visits with dogs were something my mom just loved once she forgot she had been terrified of them her whole life (except for my sheltie, of course!). But then Covid hit... just that short period of time, not having access to being exposed to new things, changed him from a calm, quiet, I can go anywhere dog to a reactive dog (who still goes everywhere).
It really is rewarding if you have the time.
