Kimber, an 11-year-old Golden Retriever, often starts her shift in Salem Hospital's emergency room, her shaggy blonde tail sweeping the floor as she walks.
She wears a purple collar with her own hospital badge. At the other end of her leash is Eric Schuman, 78, a retired physician associate who has been volunteering at the hospital for about five years. Salem Reporter first reported on the pair on Oct. 12, profiling them as among the hospital's most beloved weekly volunteers.
Kimber is hard to miss.
She is one of the therapy dogs in Salem Health's pet therapy program, which has been running for more than two decades, according to Salem Health's volunteer page. The program pairs certified volunteer handlers with their dogs to visit patients and staff across the health system's hospitals and clinics.
Schuman does more than walk the halls with Kimber. He helps onboard new pet therapy volunteers at Salem Hospital and serves as a tester and observer for the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, a national certification organization. His volunteer work with Golden Retrievers spans a decade, including visits to hospice clients, school children and patients at Oregon State Hospital, Salem's state psychiatric facility.
In a September 2024 article on the Oregon Health News Blog, Schuman described his dogs' instinct for the work. "They instinctively know that their job is to bring comfort and love to people who are hurting – whether that pain be physical, mental or spiritual," he said.
Salem Health requires therapy animals and their handlers to hold pet therapy certification before visiting patients. General pet visits are not allowed at the hospital or its outpatient clinics. Only certified therapy animals and service animals are permitted on campus.
The health system has partnered with Alliance of Therapy Dogs to build a training program for dog owners who already hold a Canine Good Citizen certification but still need pet therapy credentials.
