Comforting facility dog retiring after 5 years at UofL Health

Mar 12, 2024
Mar 12, 2024 Updated Mar 13, 2024

Comforting facility dog retiring after 5 years at UofL Health

Travis, a facility dog, had one of his final sessions with a patient Tuesday. The Labrador has been working in outpatient rehab for five-and-a-half years.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A team member at UofL Health known for comforting patients will retire this week.

Travis, a facility dog, had one of his final sessions with a patient Tuesday. The Labrador has been working in outpatient rehab for five-and-a-half years.

He provides comfort and care to those who need it most and acts as an exercise partner to those doing physical therapy. Patients said Travis makes therapy a lot more fun.

"I'm more focused on putting treats on Travis or working with Travis and the time goes by a lot faster," said Jennifer Stephens, a patient at UofL Health. "I'm not focused on the hard work that is physical therapy."

The dog has been a full-time team member, working with patients five days a week. He works with a variety of patients going through cancer rehab, surgery or orthopedic dysfunctions.