Clinically significant changes in pain as well as significant changes in anxiety, depression and well-being were observed in the therapy dog intervention compared to control. The findings of this novel study contribute important knowledge towards the potential value of ED therapy dogs to affect patients’ experience of pain, and related measures of anxiety, depression and well-being….visiting therapy dog teams had a positive, though small, impact on patient pain and related measures of anxiety, depression and well-being.
Outcomes of a controlled trial with visiting therapy dog teams on pain in adults in an emergency department — https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0262599
Woof.
lifeunderwriter.net 
Sh, this is right up my alley. I have participated in this type of endeavor since 1983. It really does work. I was in on the ground floor with one of the original founders of animal assisted therapy, Leo Bustad, DVM from Washington State veterinary school. He founded the Delta Society, one of the original organizations doing this. It is now called Pet Partners.
Awesome! This is a fascinating area of research and now we’re starting to see study results that tell us what we already know from an intuitive basis.
It’s always great when you get the actual data to back anecdotal observations up.