Animal-Assisted Therapy
Animal-assisted therapy makes rehabilitation fun and engaging for patients of all ages and abilities. At Mary Free Bed, AAT dogs work alongside a team of recreational therapists to help patients meet specific goals throughout their time in rehabilitation.
About Faith and Winton
Faith and Winton are trained animal-assisted therapy dogs. They work full-time on the Mary Free Bed Recreational Therapy Team to restore hope and freedom through rehabilitation, just like their human coworkers.
What does it take to be an AAT Dog?
Being an animal-assisted therapy dog is hard work! It takes a lot of time and training. Before joining the Mary Free Bed Team, AAT dogs are trained at Paws With A Cause® for two years (that’s 14 in dog years!)
Faith trained with PAWS for two years to become a certified AAT dog. In 2024, long-time Mary Free Bed therapy dog, Vandy, retired from the Grand Rapids Campus. She was the first-ever AAT dog trained by PAWS®.
And humans need training, too! Animal-assisted therapy sessions are directed by a recreational therapist. Rec therapists receive intensive training to learn how to work with AAT dogs.
Depending on your goals, Faith, Winton and the Recreational Therapy Team may also collaborate with physical, occupational or speech therapists.
Benefits of Animal-Assisted Therapy
Faith and Winton help motivate patients to achieve specific rehabilitation goals during therapy sessions. Working with Faith and Winton turns real-world pet care tasks like brushing or going for walks into therapy gains. For many patients, working with Faith and Winton gives them the chance to practice caring for their pets before they return to their homes and communities.
Patients also see physical, emotional and cognitive benefits from working with AAT dogs.
Patients see improvements in:
Fine and gross motor skills
Patients see a decrease in:
About Faith
Faith is a Golden Retriever who lives with her primary handler. She spends her free time visiting her family farmhouse in the country and playing fetch with a tennis ball.
- Favorite treat: Carrots (or any food, really!)
- Favorite game: “Spin the Bottle” rec therapy-style
- Favorite napping spot: snuggled up against her dad, Pat
- Favorite thing to do off-duty: Visiting with her “grandma.”
- What makes her happy: Completing 3 galloping spins before eating her meals
- Pet peeve: Getting groomed and people ignoring her when she wants to be pet
- Bedtime routine: Faith always gets one last treat before settling into bed at night.
About Winton
Winton is a Golden Retriever who lives with his sisters, Lemma and Gio. When he’s not at work, he’s searching for the biggest stick in the yard or stealing toys from his siblings.
- Favorite Treat: Ice cubes.
- Favorite Season: Winter! If given the chance, Winton would happily spend all day rolling in the snow.
- Signature Move: The “golden grumble.” The more excited he gets, the louder it becomes.
- Favorite Thing to Do Off-Duty: Spending time with Lemma and Gio and quietly claiming their toys as his own.
- What Makes Him Happy: Greeting Faith each morning by grabbing her leash and proudly walking her around the office.
- Pet Peeves: Squirrels he isn’t allowed to chase, wiping his muddy paws and sticks that aren’t allowed indoors.
- Bedtime Routine: Dramatically plopping down as hard and loud as possible on the wood floor next to his handler’s bed.
Paws with a Cause®
Paws With A Cause (PAWS)® is a national non-profit organization based in Wayland, Michigan.
Click here to learn more about Paws With A Cause (PAWS)®
