Therapy Dogs United, in conjunction with Paw & Order Pittsburgh is excited to announce that the first recipient of the Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute "Certified Pet Therapy Staff Scholarship" has been certified and is working to better the lives of staff and patients at AHNCI and AHN. AHNCI employee Maria Diaz-Chatlak along with her certified therapy dog Mila (German Shepherd) were officially certified as a therapy dog team on August 21, 2021.
AHNCI has committed funds from the Lech Family to train and certify four working therapy dogs, each handled and owned by AHNCI employees. Team Mila joins the AHN Volunteer program and is able to volunteer in one of AHN's Cancer Institutes or AHN hospitals. Maria and Mila were trained by Elissa Weimer, Paw & Order Dog Training and certified as a therapy dog team by Therapy Dogs United.