One of the newest employees at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children has four legs. While her training is highly skilled – she was specially chosen to work in a hospital setting because of her demeanor – her job description is pretty simple: to love and be loved. And in her first few weeks on the job, she’s already made a tremendous difference for her patients, both children and adults, and for the hospital staff who have overwhelmingly embraced her.

Her name, printed on the ID badge she wears on the green vest that constitutes her work uniform, is Asteroid, or Aster for short. A full-time employee who works 40 hours per week, she is possibly the first facility dog on the staff of any hospital in Alabama, according to Stefani Williams, a child life specialist and Aster’s handler – and the person who gets to take Aster home with her at night.

Every morning when Stefani goes to work, Aster goes with her. “Our staff is always so excited to see her,” she says. Many of them have already said they plan to nominate the dog for employee of the year.

Hospital employees donated the money to the Huntsville Hospital Foundation, which made it possible to hire Aster, says Elizabeth Sanders, vice president of Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children.

A couple of years ago, Stefanie learned of other hospitals using dogs to help patients in many ways – to be there when they’re having procedures done, when they’re struggling with being alone in the hospital or when doctors have to deliver difficult news to families. She thought something similar would be an important addition to her hospital and wrote a proposal to develop Canines for Coping there, to bring joy and emotional support for patients during their stays.

Asteroid, a golden retriever with "a splash of poodle," smiles for a photo with her handler, Stefani Williams, left, and her secondary handler, Brittany Ellisor, both certified child life specialists at Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children. (Photo courtesy Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children)

Stefani reached out to Canine Assistance, a nonprofit organization in Milton, Ga., that breeds and trains service dogs – some of whom are trained specifically to work in hospitals.

At Canine Assistance, each puppy gets a name that goes with a theme for its litter. Asteroid, who will be two years old in October, had already received her name and had been trained especially for Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children before Stefani even found out her breed or her gender.

When she and Brittany Ellisor, another child life specialist, went to Georgia to meet Aster for the first time at the end of June, they couldn’t believe her name was space-themed. It was “completely coincidental,” says Elizabeth, that her name fits with perfectly with the “Rocket City” where she now lives and works.

Aster is a golden retriever with “a splash of poodle,” says Stefani. “She has some crimp on her ears, her tail and the back of her legs. Everyone asks if I do her hair.”

She receives weekly baths and is brushed several times a day. Anyone who touches her has to sanitize their hands before and after visits. “We don’t go into isolation rooms or work in sterile procedures,” says Stefani.

Aster’s job is “to be loved on,” she says. “We encourage people to pet her and love her. She loves it. She is the queen.” She’s known for her signature move, “the flop,” where she rolls over and shows her belly.

Asteroid, or Aster for short, is famous for "the flop," where she rolls over in hopes of having her tummy scratched. (Photo courtesy of Huntsville Hospital for Women and Children)

Aster is in demand throughout the hospital on a consult basis. “The hard part is when we’re walking down the hall and someone says, ‘Oh, can you come say hi?’” says Stefani, who loves watching faces light up when they see Aster.

She regularly visits children in the emergency department, radiation/imaging, pediatric intensive care, general pediatric unit and neonatal intensive care, where she doesn’t visit with premature babies but does provide family and sibling support. She also visits adult patients in the intensive care and antepartum units.

On an average day, the hospital has 200 pediatric patients, so “we’re filtering through a lot of requests,” says Elizabeth.

The hospital still has its volunteer-driven pet therapy program, in which trained dogs make short visits with patients. “They see way more patients than Aster and I can see,” says Stefani. “Aster and I have medically based goals: reducing pain, helping patients ambulate after surgery, being present in bereavement and trauma. We’re both employees here, which opens the door for us to provide treatment-based services.”

One of the first “a-ha” moments with Aster, recalls Stefani, was with a child who was crying in pain after surgery. Stefani brought the dog into the room, and the child calmed down and petted her for 45 minutes without crying at all. “It’s been amazing, a privilege, to see how much of a difference she makes,” she says.

The hospital has plans to expand the Canines for Coping program so that they never have to say no to a patient. “We hope to grow the program,” says Elizabeth. “We’re very thankful.”

Meanwhile, after Aster has had a long day – her job can be emotionally overwhelming, after all – her vest comes off and it’s time to play and unwind like any other dog. Stefani has another dog who is only slightly smaller than Aster, and they “love to play, tug and snuggle,” she says.

But the next morning, once her vest is back on, she’s all business. “She knows that when she has that on, she’s working,” says Stefani.