New York City-based NYU Langone has added an unconventional team member to its spine program: 3-year-old black labrador retriever Dorothy.
Dorothy joined NYU’s Rusk Rehabilitation in March 2024, also working with patients at NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital, according to an April 23 news release from the health system.
She aids physical therapy patients — including 5-year-old Liam Block — who are relearning how to walk following complex spinal surgeries.
“The therapy was tedious and difficult, so it was hard to engage him [Liam] day in and day out, but bringing in Dot changed his outlook completely,” Sarah Cosgrave, a physical therapist at Rusk, said in the release.
Dorothy motivates patients to take their first steps in physical therapy following long operations. Patients can walk her through the hallways of NYU Langone on a leash or play games with her to aid recovery.
She works with patients on a variety of exercises, helping them run through obstacle courses or use a balance beam.
Dorothy joined the NYU team from America’s VetDogs, which trains and places service dogs with veterans.
Dorothy’s handler, Jacqueline Haight, a child life specialist for Rusk Rehabilitation, approached VetDogs and requested a dog that would be a good fit for NYU’s orthopedic program.
Before joining NYU Langone, Dorothy underwent a two-year training program in which VetDogs collaborated with the health system to learn the commands, tasks and requirements necessary for her to learn for a patient setting.
