We are IH: Sully brings joy to patients, staff at Royal Inland

Sully started as a therapy dog in December 2025. He and his Dad visit the fifth and seventh floors at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops every Tuesday. It’s a joy for them both.

“I’m all about staff wellness,” shares Sully. “Dad tries to be cool and says, ‘That’s our beat.’ I haven’t been around long, but sometimes a staff member sees me coming and says, ‘Hey! It’s Sully!’ That makes me smile. That’s good living,” he says.

The smiles and joy Sully provides staff and patients fill his doggy cup right up.

“One time I’m getting a tummy rub up on North 5. I’m lying on my side, legs sticking out, but I’m new, so not exactly sure if this is okay. One nurse comes around the corner gushing, 'I want to cuddle him!’ And she gets right down on the floor, and I look at Dad and I’m wondering, ‘Did I sign up for this?’” he laughs.

Sully, however, mostly shakes a paw, lies down and walks up to people for pets at the hospital. His dad shows him how to climb on a chair and sit calmly next to a patient.

“I’m a big fella, it’s awkward, and my behind barely fits. But lumbering up there makes people smile,” Sully says excitedly with a happy bark.

“When someone is having a tough day, that’s when I really feel like I’m earning my keep. In front of the elevators a lady asked Dad, ‘Can I pet your dog?’ I can tell she’s struggling, like when humans’ eyes get wet. She buries her face, eyes closed, in that big bunch of fur on my neck, and stays there a long time. She looks me right in eye and says, ‘I miss my dogs.’"

Sully says during some visits he pretends to be someone’s long lost dog to cure their sadness.

“Sometimes the job makes my Goldendoodle heart breaks. One time, when we got a request to see a patient, we walked in the room and he shouts, ‘Jack! It’s Jack*!’ I must have reminded him of his long-passed dog, Jack. He held my ears and said, ‘Jack?’ He looked over at his son and said, ‘It’s Jack, Jack’s come back.’ Then he held my face and pressed his forehead on mine. It’s a tough part of the job, but I just pretended that I was Jack. When we had to leave, he whispered to me ‘You be a good boy, Jack.’ Water trickled out of Dad’s eyes.”

The only thing Sully doesn’t love about the job is all the upkeep to look pretty for the audience.

“The toughest thing about being a therapy dog is all the baths, grooming and brushing. When I hear, ’Time for a bath Sully!' I try to make myself scarce. Are you kidding me? We had a bath last week!” Sully sulks.

“Dad is so fussy and I know it’s important to be clean to come to the hospital. You see, I’m a real outdoors kind of dog. I love to swim in a lake, a river or a swamp. I love any kind of water unless it’s warm and soapy. No thanks. One time I found a fish at a river and it smelled so good. I couldn’t help but roll in it, but you know you can’t smell like that as a therapy dog.”

A few visits and lots of pets and rubs can tire out the pup.

“I didn’t realize when I started this work just how much it takes out of me. I can tell what people need and if a patient is struggling, I really try hard to send out my best vibes. Sometimes I’ll sit on a chair next to them, or sometimes I’ll lie right up on their bed. But boy oh boy, it can be emotional. I love the work, but afterwards, sometimes I just need to stretch out, find a cool tile floor and nap.”

That’s precisely what Sully does when he gets home—leash and special scarf off then into his dog bed for the afternoon.

The St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program reaches out to thousands of people across Canada daily, bringing comfort, joy and companionship to members of the community who are sick, lonely or reside in long-term care and mental health facilities, or are in hospitals, schools and libraries.

Learn about becoming a volunteer handler

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