Memorial Hermann celebrates National Service Dog Month in Montgomery County

THE WOODLANDS, TX -- Did you know? September is National Service Dog Month. Ashley Halland, LCS, the Facility Dog Program Coordinator at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center, recently brought along the hospital’s Facility Dog, Kinson, to Montgomery County Commissioners Court. Montgomery County Judge Mark J. Keough officially recognized the occasion with a proclamation and presented it to Ashley, Kinson and to Mary Patterson, a Puppy Raiser Coordinator from the Gulf Coast Chapter of Canine Companions. Also pictured in the background are Montgomery County Precinct 3 Commissioner James Noack and Montgomery County Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley.

Service dogs are incredible working dogs who help people with disabilities live more independently. They’re trained as service dog PROS to complete a variety of tasks – like picking up a dropped cell phone at the park or handing a credit card to the cashier at the grocery store. A facility dog at a hospital works directly with patients on specific, individualized goals – at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands, Kinson utilizes more than 40 commands he has been trained to complete. Currently, Kinson, along with Ashley, work with trauma, neuroscience and TIRR inpatients. Facility dogs can help improve patient outcomes, reduce length of stay by encouraging patient participation, reducing patient anxiety, and increasing patient satisfaction. Two-year-old Kinson, a Golden Retriever and Labrador mix, joined Memorial Hermann The Woodlands in August and was raised and trained by Canine Companions. He lives with Ashley and works with her full-time at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands.