Golden retriever brings joy to cancer patients at Dana Farber

BOSTON (WHDH) - A new canine staff member at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute is bringing smiles to the faces of pediatric patients.

Opry, a year-and-a-half-old golden retriever, is Dana Farber’s first “in-residence facility dog.” The pup was donated to the institute with help from the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation.

“Knowing that she’s here specifically for them has been so awesome and we’ve had a few comments from parents who say, ‘Oh, we don’t have to get a dog now because we have one here,'” said Kate Nixon, of Dana Farber.

Opry will be working with the staff to help create a calming, therapeutic environment for kids battling cancer.

“A lot of patients are on treatment for a while. After a little time, it can be challenging to get them away from the more fun activities and get them to go do parts of their treatment,” Nixon said.

The staff said Opry will be on duty to help patients feel more comfortable in the hospital, help motivate them to achieve healthcare goals, and to reduce anxiety during stressful procedures.

“Seeing Opry bring joy and smiles to the faces of patients and families is really critical,” said Mollie Collum, of the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation.

As a facility dog, Opry has been specially trained to work with patients every day and perform tasks as part of her job. It took two years of preparation to make sure the hospital was ready, as well as to train Opry on her responsibilities.

Now that the dog has arrived, the hospital staff said they’re thrilled to work alongside their newest addition.

“One of the wonderful things that we provide here at Dana Farber is that we have all different tools to help patients deal with their cancer journey,” said Barbara Cuccovia, of Dana Farber. “And I think Opry is another tool we’ve added to our tool kit, and people just light up.”

Opry is the fifth dog in Massachusetts donated by the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation.

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