Seamus plays a very useful role in helping patients recover. He makes therapy more creative and interesting, she says. Seamus encourages patients to stand up. He helps them get stronger by playing tug-of-war with them. He follows commands so patients can practice speaking. In fact, Seamus responds to more than 40 commands and is always learning more. He can open doors, close drawers, walk backward, fetch items, and turn off lights. Dr. Tassini says she notices that patients will often push themselves harder when Seamus is involved in therapy. “Sometimes people will walk farther for the dog than for me,” she says. If patients are nervous in the hospital, Seamus may even cuddle with them to calm them down. Seamus, who is a mixture of golden retriever and Labrador, joined Dr. Tassini in 2011. He was about 2 years old. Dr. Tassini had requested a dog from a group called Canine Companions for Independence, which matched her with Seamus. The nonprofit group in California breeds dogs that have a knack for working with people with disabilities. Some dogs work with people who can’t hear. Others work with people with physical disabilities. Dogs like Seamus are trained to work with patients in a hospital. Carolyn Tassini, D.P.T. Encouraging patients to recover, with a dog at her side Dr. Carolyn Tassini has a special partner who helps her take care of patients with brain injuries. He is furry, he walks on all fours, and his name is Seamus. He is the facility dog at Moss Rehabilitation Hospital in Elkins Park, Pa., where Dr. Tassini is a physical therapist. They work together to help people who have lost the ability to walk, talk, or use an arm. Some patients have injured their brains in serious accidents involving cars, all-terrain vehicles, or bikes. Other patients have suffered strokes that make it hard for them to move. In physical therapy, patients relearn movements by exercising different parts of their bodies. They can do small exercises such as rubbing two fingers together. Or they can exercise their whole bodies by doing things like walking on a treadmill. Dr. Tassini asked her hospital to allow her to work with a facility dog so she could expand the care she gives patients. She says she has always loved dogs. More importantly, she believes 24