Arquitectura pública para el ocio en Colombia, o el gobierno del tiempo libre, 1934–2021

Introduction. The growing recognition of the benefits that pets offer to people’s emotional health has fostered the development of protocols for their admission to hospitals. The objective of this article was to describe our experience in developing and implementing a protocol that allows hospitalized patients to receive visits from pets and the implementation of dog-assisted interventions as an emotional support measure during hospitalization. Methods. The protocol was approved by the Quality Management Area with code AH-ESME-PT-01 and endorsed by the Institutional Ethics Committee under registration number 122025. Pets must meet specific animal welfare, health, and hygiene requirements, including a complete vaccination and deworming schedule, and must empty their bladders before entering the hospital. Results. Since the implementation of the Protocol Issy and Fuerza Peluda, more than 100 dog-assisted visits have been conducted. Significant experiences were documented, both with pediatric patients and wounded military personnel, demonstrating the program’s potential to strengthen the humanization of the hospital environment. Conclusions. Our experience shows that bringing pets into the hospital setting significantly benefits patients. The program is expected to continue expanding into the field of animal-assisted therapies for the rehabilitation of combat-wounded patients, supported by new research based on data obtained from surveys administered to patients who participated in the program.