St. Rita's Welcome Waggers Program brings happy 'tails'

Meet Sammie and Daisy, and then there's Rockie, Buddie, and Tease.

"People don't know me. They know Daisy," said Ranea Spencer, the Welcome Waggers volunteer coordinator.

"I knew when I got another dog that I wanted to do something bigger than myself," Spencer said. 

Daisy and the other four dogs are part of the new therapy dog program at St. Rita's called Welcome Waggers. 

"It is so rewarding to see the smiles that you see from patients," Spencer said. 

While the adorable faces alone are enough to warm your heart, the dogs also have a lasting effect on the patients they meet. 

"I feel you know it's special, yeah it's a special feeling, yeah," patient Katie Sundell said about the program. 

Katie Sundell says it gives people in the hospital something to look forward to. Others say it reminds them of their own furry family member waiting for them at home.

"Just like anybody, when they have a dog, they become part of the family," patient Ron Miller said. 

Miller has been in the hospital for 18 days and says he misses his own dog Charlie, but spending time with Tease does help. 

"It's kind of exciting to see the dog come in, makes you feel better," Miller said.

Miller is scheduled to be released Wednesday, so him and Charlie will be reunited soon. In the meantime, he has some specific instructions for his wife. 

"I said you go home and have the dog watch me on TV," Miller told his wife.