ABSTRACT
Canine-Assisted Interventions (CAI) in the health care setting was created and formally implemented in 1976 by Elaine Smith, a registered nurse and the Founder of Therapy Dogs International, the first Therapy Dog organization established in the United States. As a nurse working in the community health care setting, it was a natural progression for me to establish the first nurse-led Animal-Assisted Intervention (AAI) practice for children and adults based on current research supporting the healing qualities of the human animal bond. Witnessing the lives changed by working with a dog moved me to provide an essential health service for the community that is dedicated to the prevention, maintenance, and recovery of human dis-ease through the presence of dogs.
