A day in the life of a therapy dog at CHOP

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. -- Morty loves to play ball, give high-fives, and cuddle with his stuffed elephant according to his official trading card.

He's one of many volunteer dogs at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia who goes door-to-door delivering smiles. His proud mom, Marcy Deringer, has been walking him through the halls of CHOP for the last seven to eight years.

It's part of the Gerald B. Shreiber Pet Therapy Program, which dispatches 60 pet therapy teams across the hospital. It was created to provide that special therapeutic value no human or medicine can give to a child.

The dogs give patients a taste of home and can also provide a distraction from the four walls of a hospital room. As of now, all the dogs belong to volunteers, but a full-time therapy dog is expected at CHOP next year.

To learn more about the volunteer program and how to get involved, visit their website.