By Patricia Chourio
For Ray Rodgers, an ɫƵ (ɫƵ) Community Care patient and People in Need (PiN) Ministry volunteer, the days he gets to spend with Ruth are the ones he looks forward to most.
Ruth, an intuitive yellow lab and certified therapy dog, visits the clinic regularly with her handler Tina Gustin, D.N.P. (D.N.P. ’11), associate professor for Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Ellmer School of Nursing at ɫƵ. When Ray sits beside Ruth at the clinic, he says all his worries fade away. Petting her and talking lovingly to her, he gets a glimpse of a better future.
“I’m a different person when I’m around her,” Rodgers said, “which is the person that I want to be.”
After losing his mother and his daughter, Rodgers has struggled with grief and lost trust in others. But, when it comes to animals, he says, his mood and outlook radically change.
“They show unconditional love and don’t judge,” he explained.
Rodgers is one of many patients benefiting from interactions with therapy dogs at ɫƵ Community Care clinics and outreach events. Founded in 2021 by Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Ellmer School of Nursing at ɫƵ, ɫƵ Community Care is a nurse-led, student-run program that delivers compassionate, community healthcare directly to underserved populations throughout the Hampton Roads region.
At the clinic located in the Housing Resource Center (HRC), an initiative of the City of Virginia Beach Housing & Neighborhood Preservation, Ruth spends time with patients experiencing homelessness, providing comfort during their clinical appointments.
For many patients, the presence of a therapy dog creates an immediate shift.
“You can see that when a patient starts to interact with Ruth, they lose a barrier,” said Morgan Capstick, FNP-C, clinical assistant faculty with ɫƵ Community Care.
“It takes down a shield and gives us an opportunity to talk about things they might not have shared with us otherwise.”
For some patients, the visits also fill a personal void. Many people staying in shelters have had to leave behind beloved pets or emotional support animals. Grace Barthold, M.S.W., a medical social worker for ɫƵ Community Care, says that when patients learn Ruth is visiting, they immediately ask to see her.
“They miss their animals,” Barthold says. “Seeing Ruth fills that void and helps their mental health.”
But Ruth’s journey to becoming a therapy dog was not simple.
Her handler, Dr. Gustin, began training Ruth when she was just 1 year old. Together, they completed a rigorous certification process through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs.
Ruth underwent health screenings, behavioral evaluations and supervised visits to hospitals and long-term care facilities to demonstrate how she interacted with different types of patients. Once certified, Ruth began volunteering at the Ellmer School of Nursing’s pop-up events and quickly made a positive impact.
Dr. Gustin saw firsthand the positive effect Ruth had on students, faculty and patients. However, because of Alliance of Therapy Dogs guidelines, she and Ruth could only participate at events as volunteers, which limited Dr. Gustin’s ability to fully engage with her students, while also serving as faculty.
That’s when an idea came to her. Dr. Gustin worked with Rene Love, Ph.D., D.N.P., dean of the Ellmer School of Nursing at ɫƵ, to explore the possibility of bringing Ruth on board as a facility dog. Unlike volunteer therapy dogs, facility dogs are formally hired into an organization or business and are supervised by a staff member. In hospitals, they are often paired with child life specialists or social workers. And, in schools, counselors commonly serve as handlers.
For Dean Love, bringing Ruth into the community was an easy next step. Ruth joined the team in early 2026 as chief compassion officer, helping students facing pressure with balancing coursework, clinicals and navigating the transition into professional practice.
“Nursing school can be stressful, and life can be stressful,” Dr. Love said. “Ruth brings a sense of peace and compassion, and I hope our students and faculty feel that whenever she comes in.”
Dr. Gustin now has “facility dog handler” included in her job description, allowing her to support students, while working alongside Ruth.
“There have been occasions where a student has been in distress and asked to meet with me to discuss an assignment,” Dr. Gustin said. “Now, they can come in, interact with Ruth and we can talk through solutions together. I can have my faculty hat on and my dog handler hat on.”
Whether assisting a student or a community member seeking healthcare services, Ruth cultivates a sense of peace that inspires dreams of a better future.