Joanne Harman, a volunteer at Highline Medical Center, frequents the hospital halls with her 150 lb. Newfoundland dog, Baffin.

Both she and Baffin are part of the pet therapy program that visits patients in order to lift their spirits. Most days, Harman and Baffin tour the halls, looking for patients who would like some company. Two hours is about Baffin's limit before he begins to get too tired.

Harman says that she first heard about the pet therapy program while she was taking classes for nursing school.

"I thought Baffin, my boyfriend's dog, would be perfect," she said, describing how he always drew people's attention. "He just brings a smile to people's faces."

That is when Harman found Delta Society, an organization based in Bellevue that helps organize pet therapy efforts.

"They were one of the first groups to establish the health benefits of pets, such as lower blood pressure and as a means to combat depression," Harman declared.

"If someone needs mobility in their shoulder, they would give them a brush (to use on the pet), and that would help distract them from the pain," Harman explained. There are other societies, such as Healing Paws that operate along the same concepts but Harman says that it was Delta Society who set the standards.

Harman also explains that Baffin is referred to as a "pet partner" rather than a "therapy dog" to avoid the implication that the pet is administering therapy. Instead, the pet partner works with the volunteer and the patient. She also explained "We (Baffin and I) have to be evaluated together because we are a team."

Other pet partners that Delta Society employs are cat, ponies, and even llamas.

As for Baffin and his rounds, Harman was pleased to say that he is a hospital-wide favorite. Though she did have to move to a different floor of the hospital because of the allergies several nurses had, Baffin remains beloved by other nurses and front-desk staff alike.

"Even if patients don't like dogs, they still have questions about him (Baffin) like 'What kind of dog is he?' and 'How much does he weigh?'" Harman declared.

Harman also explained that patients connect with Baffin because "people have an open approach with animals." People who are lonely, missing their pets, or who don't connect with other humans are attracted to Baffin, Harman says.

"People connect over animal stories, and they talk about how much they miss their animal, either deceased or just because they've been away from them for a few days."

So, if Baffin is so popular, how much time does he spend with each patient? That depends, Harman says, on the patient, and how well the patient likes Baffin. "It varies from a couple minutes to around half an hour," Harman says. All in all, she estimates that they see around 10-15 patients in their two hours a day.

Harman says that she's "still amazed by Baffin's ability to connect with people."

She's moving forward with her medical career to become a nurse, but in the meantime, she continues to make the day of patients, hospital staff, and those who happen to be at Highline Medical Center.