The program will bring three full-time therapy dogs to the Orange, Calif.-based hospital, which previously only received visits from one volunteer therapy dog.
The Heaneys funded the program through a charity race, an outside sponsor and their own donation. They said they were inspired to start the program after encountering a therapy dog at OU Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City several years ago.
“Being in the hospital already sucks,” Mr. Heaney told the Los Angeles Times. “Anybody who has spent any time in the hospital knows that it’s not fun at all. It can be really draining. It’s just kind of things that should go together, kids and a dog. I just know how happy they make me.”
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