Paws of Hope
Volunteer handler and comfort dog teams bringing comfort to hospitals, pediatric units and senior care facilities.
A calm, well-trained dog can change the mood of a ward. Paws of Hope volunteer teams visit hospitals, pediatric units and senior care facilities in Cuenca, always with the agreement of staff and of every person they visit.
What a visit looks like
A handler and their dog arrive at an agreed time, are met by a member of staff, and visit only the rooms and people who have said yes. Visits are short. A child who is frightened of dogs is never approached; a resident who wants five more minutes usually gets them. Staff can end a visit at any moment, and so can the handler if the dog has had enough.
Careful screening
Every team goes through rigorous screening for temperament, training and grooming before every visit. Animal welfare is part of the program: visits are short, dogs are never pressured, and handlers are trained to read their dog. Dogs must be healthy, up to date with their vaccinations and comfortable around strangers, wheelchairs and hospital sounds.
Becoming a handler team
Tell us about yourself and your dog on the Get involved form. A submitted form is an expression of interest, not an approval: the coordinator will arrange a screening visit, and only teams that pass are scheduled. Handlers are volunteers and give their time freely.
Hosting a visit
Hospitals, pediatric units, senior care facilities and community programs in Cuenca can ask for visits. The coordinator agrees the rules of the facility, the areas that may be visited and the hygiene requirements before the first visit takes place.
The program offers companionship and comfort. It does not promise medical recovery or absolute safety, and every participant can decline a visit.
In pictures
The foundation’s mascot
Meet Teddy
Teddy, the little Pomeranian in many of the foundation’s photographs, is Jim Cory’s service dog and Social Vision’s official mascot. He helps Jim with his Parkinson’s disease, and he has a gift for breaking the ice: patients relax, worries ease and conversations start.
He is known across Cuenca, and he comforts patients who feel anxious about medical care. The foundation worked for nearly two years to bring him into the hospitals as a comfort dog, and after permission from the mayor’s office he made his official debut; patients and staff welcomed him with open arms.
His three knee surgeries were performed by Dra. Cristina Bernal, a veterinary orthopedic surgeon listed in the community directory. Pet services in the directory
