What are the opening hours?

Monday 8am - 5pm Tuesday 8am - 5pm Wednesday 8am - 5pm Thursday 8am - 5pm Friday 8am - 5pm

Dogs On Call

Dogs On Call serves the patient, visitor, and staff populations of the VCU Medical Center by providing therapy dog visitation and animal-assisted therapy.

Dogs On Call is a volunteer-based therapy dog program of the non-profit The Center for Human-Animal Interaction (www.facebook.com/humananimalinteraction) at Virginia Commonwealth University. Therapy dog and handler teams visit as volunteers, at no cost to patients and their families, with the aim of enhancing the health and well-being of a myriad of clinical populations. Visits are provided nearly everywhere throughout the VCU Medical Center, with the exception of operating rooms, delivery rooms, and where contact precautions are in place. Participating therapy dogs must be certified and continually meet set standards for temperament, obedience, and hygiene. Together, volunteers and their therapy dogs work to satisfy safety requirements so that they can provide this important service. The DOC Program is an evidence-based practice, supported by research conducted both internally and externally to the VCU Medical Center. Research conducted by the Center for Human-Animal Interaction, often involving visiting DOC teams, continues to uncover benefits patient and staff benefits from their visits as well as from other forms of human-animal interaction.

02/16/2026

Hail to the Chief… Barker! Happy Presidents’ Day. Did you know many Presidents had dogs in the White House to help manage the stress? We do the exact same thing here at the hospital.

02/14/2026

Sending love to all our patients and staff! 💖 Today is also National Donor Day. Just as organ donors give the gift of life, our dogs give the gift of love. Consider registering as a donor today! What better Valentine’s Day present than to give the gift of life?

02/12/2026

02/10/2026

“Missy and I were completing visits when a nurse approached us and asked us to visit a floor that was having a "really hard day." When we arrived, Missy immediately got to it, spreading her love and providing moments of respite to teary-eyed staff. As I watched her do her magic, I knew that this was exactly where we were supposed to be.”

- Shared by Tracy Hartman

02/08/2026

We’re just here for the Puppy Bowl! 🏈 Who are you rooting for today? Our team is always Team “Good Dog.” Stay safe and enjoy the game!

02/06/2026

New research led by our own Dr. Nancy Gee, alongside CHAI colleagues Dr. Lisa Townsend and Dr. Sandra Barker, indicates that therapy dogs significantly reduce loneliness in hospitalized patients—even more than human visitors alone. We are so proud to see the power of the human-animal bond being advanced by science! ❤️🐕

Read the full Human Animal Bond Research Institute - HABRI press release: https://habri.org/pressroom/20260205

02/05/2026

“Cassie has an intuition that is far beyond my understanding and I often marvel at her work. I remember a visit with a young man who had been completely silent. Cassie simply sat on his bed, staring lovingly into his eyes as he continued to pet her. Each time he ran his hand through Cassie's soft fur, a little bit more of a smile appeared. His mother also thanked us and said that it had been a long time since she had last seen him smile.”

- Shared by Donna Robertson

02/03/2026

It’s the beginning of Pet Dental Health Month. Fresh breath equals a better quality of life for your pup and you!

02/01/2026

Today marks the start of Black History Month. At Dogs on Call, we celebrate the diverse community of patients, staff, and handlers who make our program strong. Unity and compassion are at the heart of everything we do. ❤️🖤💚

01/29/2026

“Everyone is like family at VCU Health's Stony Point Campus, and Keegan loves visiting. Keegan especially likes visiting pathology, where one of the medical professionals has a routine of playing peek-a-boo with him and then giving him a nice rub behind his ears. It's a great halfway point when we are making our rounds.”

- Shared by Michael Kallighan

01/27/2026

Even working dogs need a break! 🏖️ It’s National Plan for Vacation Day. If our therapy dogs could book a trip, where do you think they’d go? The beach? The mountains? Or just a really big couch?

Address

1200 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA
23298

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Website

https://chai.vcu.edu/gift-and-support-/

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