About Bonheur Buddies
Bonheur Buddies is the facility dog program at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. A facility dog is a working dog that partners with a healthcare professional handler to provide a therapeutic presence for patients, families and staff.
Le Bonheur proudly offers both facility dog and therapy dog programs. While both make a big impact, their roles differ:
- Therapy Dogs: Work with volunteer handlers during short visits, going room to room to spread cheer and comfort. Interested in therapy dogs? Contact Volunteer and Family Services for more information.
- Facility Dogs: Spend approximately 18 months being raised and prepared for their roles, becoming accustomed to the hospital environment. They are specially educated to work alongside healthcare professionals to provide goal-oriented therapeutic interventions.
Meet JJ. Our first Bonheur Buddy
JJ joined Le Bonheur in September 2025 as our first facility dog. He works alongside his Certified Child Life Specialist handler to provide coping and emotional support for patients and families.
At work, JJ is calm, focused, and eager to help. After work, JJ goes home with his handler and enjoys being a regular dog, playing fetch and doing zoomies.
Interacting with dogs in the hospital
You may see JJ in the hospital lobbies or hallways, please feel free to say hi. If you are interested in a bedside interaction with a dog, please speak with your unit Child Life Specialist to discuss if a visit from a therapy dog or facility dog would be appropriate and beneficial for your child. While we do our best to accommodate all requests, we cannot guarantee a visit.
Here are a few helpful things to remember:
- You may see individuals with their personal service animals around the hospital. For their safety, it is essential that you do not touch, pet, talk to, or otherwise distract a working service animal.
- If you would like to pet a facility or therapy dog, always ask first and sanitize your hands before and after petting.
- Facility dogs are unable to accept treats or food from anyone but their handlers.
- Facility dogs and therapy dogs are unable to visit patients on isolation precautions due to infection control policies.
- If you or your child are allergic to or fearful of dogs, please let us know so we can respect your space."
Support the Bonheur Buddies program
Bonheur Buddies is a donor-funded program that would not exist without support from our Le Bonheur community! We are grateful to the Lawrence Lewis Foundation for their contributions that allowed us to welcome JJ. Your donations help us grow the program and increase our impact.
