INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Each and every week, “Pet Pals TV” shares a fun, interesting, and informative story about our-four legged and furry friend population.

On the latest “Pet Pals TV,” host Patty Spitler was joined by Emily Smith, animal assisted therapy coordinator at Eskenazi Health, and her trained therapy dog, Busy Bee!

Smith manages a team of volunteers who take their therapy dogs to visit patients and staff at Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital. There are over 20 dogs in the program, including Busy Bee.

“A therapy dog is a social, confident dog that has also been trained to be in new environments, be gentle with people (and) confident in different situations. A lot of times, people think they’re just social, but they are also very highly trained for the job,” Smith explained.

Patients and staff at Sidney & Lois Eskenazi Hospital can request a visit from a therapy dog any time the dogs are inside the building. Patients can hold or pet the dogs, and the dogs can also lie on the bed with the patients.

The holiday season is an especially important time for pet therapy visits, according to Smith.

“The holidays are already hard on all of us, especially if you’re a patient in the hospital or working in the hospital. So we have really been very hands-on during the holiday season, making sure patients and staff get in touch with our furry friends,” Smith said.

To learn more about therapy dogs, and to see Busy Bee steal the show, watch the video above!

Visit eskenazihealth.com to learn more abut the Robert & Gina Laikin Pet Therapy Program at Eskenazi Health.