The mental health ward in a hospital can be an unfamiliar and scary place.

But patients at St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way often forget their misfortunes when they see Casper, the 2-year-old Cardigan Welsh Corgi who serves as a therapy dog there.

Casper visits the mental health patients at St. Francis each Monday evening in the television and recreation room.

“He’ll wrestle with the guys that want to wrestle with him, and the girls, he’ll usually lay at their feet and be petted,” said Kim Kiefer, Casper’s owner.

Kiefer became interested in pet therapy after taking a litter of kittens to a nursing home with her Future Farmers of America group in high school. She also recalled that when a close family member died of leukemia, she was denied the opportunity to bring her pets into the hospital to visit.

“That’s something that I know I would want if I was at the end of my life is to see my animals,” she said.

Kiefer realized that animals could make almost any patient’s day a little brighter, and she wanted to help. She and Casper went through six weeks of training with the Delta Society before Casper became certified as a therapy dog. She chose St. Francis Hospital for her volunteer work because St. Francis is the patron saint of animals.

Casper is one of three dogs who participate in the pet partner therapy program at St. Francis.

“I do know that a lot of the patients truly do benefit from the pet partner program,” said Toni Myhre, the volunteer coordinator at St. Francis.

Volunteers in the program are required to go through training and be registered with the Delta Society, a nonprofit organization that trains pets as therapy animals.

Just about any dog with good manners and a love for people can be a pet therapist, Kiefer said.

“They want a more laid-back animal that doesn’t react to things like crutches and canes and children grabbing their ears,” she said.

Part of the test in order to receive certification includes bringing the dog around crowds of people and other dogs to be certain they don’t react. The dog must also demonstrate that it can sit, come and stay on command.

Kiefer thinks that bringing Casper in to visit allows the patients to forget, momentarily, that they are in a hospital. She hopes that they are encouraged to work toward recovery.

“If they have animals at home, maybe it makes them want to get home faster,” she said. “A lot of them tell me they miss their animals.”

For Casper, the work is pretty easy.

“He basically goes in and gets pets for an hour,” Kiefer said. “He’s allowed on the furniture, and people lay on the floor with him… Basically he thinks it’s a one-hour massage.”

Although there are different patients each week, there’s always someone there who benefits from Casper’s visit, Kiefer said.

“Even the quiet people want to come tell you stories about their animals,” she said. “Dogs always bring out the good.”

Contact Margo Hoffman: mhoffman@fedwaymirror.com or (253) 925-5565.

For more information about training an animal to become a pet partner, visit www.deltasociety.org/.