A cadre of 8 to 10 volunteer-pet teams alternate once a month visits at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center, so that two or more visits are made each week. A team will spend the first 45 minutes of its visit greeting patients as they come through the front door on their way to treatment or a consultation with their physician. Patients enter the building with serious looks on their faces, naturally concerned about their condition. When they spot the dog, smiles appear and they momentarily forget their plight and pet and talk to the dog.

During the last 45 minutes of each visit, the volunteer-pet teams proceed upstairs and visit with patients while they are undergoing treatment. They visit in waiting rooms and in the several treatment rooms, letting the patients talk with the dogs, and maybe showing off a few tricks. Beatrice Perry, coordinator for the group (and shown at the upper left), stated that she knew her pet was doing some good, when she found out that some patients were changing their treatment days to those when a dog would be there. The visits seem to be good therapy for the staff, as well.