Dr. Pancho Does His Rounds 

Beth Ganer and her therapy dog, Dr. Pancho, have been visiting patients at Mercy Gilbert Hospital once a week for more than three years. Everyone at the hospital knows Dr. Pancho – especially because he makes his rounds in a tiny doctor’s coat.  

A few weeks ago, as Beth and Dr. Pancho stepped out of a patient’s room, a woman approached them and asked if they could visit her daughter down the hall. Beth immediately agreed. When they entered the room, they found a teenage girl lying in bed, anxious and sobbing uncontrollably. 

Beth gently asked if she would like a visit from Dr. Pancho. The girl nodded. Beth laid a towel across the bed and placed Dr. Pancho beside her. The girl wrapped her arms around him and whispered, “Oh look, Mom… isn’t he cute?”  

She continued to cry, but Beth could tell these tears were different. These were tears of relief, of joy. The girl pulled Dr. Pancho closer, hugging him with all her strength. Dr. Pancho seemed to understand exactly why he was there. He stayed perfectly still, letting her hold him as tightly as she needed.  

Beth glanced at the girl’s mother and saw tears streaming down her face. Dr. Pancho remained with the young patient for nearly 10 minutes, offering quiet comfort. When it was time to go, Beth thanked them for allowing the visit and gently lifted Dr. Pancho from the bed.  

As she sat him down, the mother turned to her and said, “I don’t think you understand what you’ve done today. My daughter has been terrified since she arrived here. This visit calmed her more than anything else has. I don’t know how to thank you.”  

Beth smiled, offered a simple thank you, and stepped into the hallway. As she closed the door, she looked down at Dr. Pancho and praised him for doing such a wonderful job. But in that moment, she realized this wasn’t just another patient visit – and it wasn’t her doing. This was God providing comfort and peace to someone who desperately needed his love and grace. And, he had chosen a therapy dog to deliver it.  

Beth isn’t sure Dr. Pancho understands the gift he gave that day. But she knows she herself had nothing to do with the miracle that unfolded in that room. It was a moment of pure kindness – God’s kindness – delivered through a small dog in a doctor’s coat, changing a young girl’s emotional world. 

Beth Ganer, Gilbert, AZ