Lisa K. Humke Canine Therapy Garden at Eskenazi Health
The Lisa K. Humke Canine Therapy Garden was built specifically for patients, therapy dogs, and volunteer needs. This patient-focused area allows therapy dogs and volunteers the freedom to be outside and features several different spaces where patients and volunteers can experience the therapeutic effects of the animal-human interaction bond.
Through play in the garden, we are encouraging holistic healing and simultaneously increasing therapeutic animal and human interaction. The Eskenazi Health Pet Therapy team is pleased to share this area with patients and employees and help make ruff days better.
The garden is named for Lisa K. Humke, who had a love for all things canine. While the garden represents the program goals, it also remembers our furry founder, Bonnie, Eskenazi Health’s first pet therapy dog.
When in the garden, patients can enjoy the outdoors in Bonnie’s Courtyard, visit and sit with family in Ruby’s Family Pet Visitation, work on their Frisbee game in the Fetch Lawn named in remembrance of Maude Glore’s beloved pets Boris, Susie, BooBoo, Barnaby, Zoe, Kallie, and walk up to a mile on the Circuit Path, a challenging accomplishment for many! In addition to patient focused areas, the garden’s agility area helps stimulate the therapy dogs while providing restorative opportunities for observers.
The Canine Therapy Garden truly enhances a biophilia effect. Both dogs and humans possess an innate tendency to seek connection with nature. The canine therapy garden is an outdoor space where we incorporate the nature elements to create a healing environment, where we improve recovery time and reduce stress for both patients and canines. This, in turn, creates and enhances a true therapeutic interaction.