CREATURE COMFORT COMES IN LARGE, SMALL SIZES.

Byline: Carol Bidwell Staff Writer

Dogs are most often chosen as therapy pets because they are friendlier, calmer and more adaptable to inadvertent tail-pullings, paw-stompings and nudges from wheelchairs or walkers, say those who work in animal therapy programs.

But not all dogs that apply make it. Kathie Cole, head of UCLA Medical Center's People-Animal Connection, said about 75 percent of the dogs who try out for that program are rejected because they lack the qualities hospital officials are seeking.

To qualify for any therapy pet program, dogs generally must be in excellent health, unfazed by the hustle and bustle of hospitals, friendly to strangers and trainable in a hospital atmosphere. Rules for visits vary by hospital, but most dogs must be bathed and groomed within 24 hours of a patient visit.

Therapy dogs all wear some sort of ``uniform'' - usually either a bandanna or a vest - and each has its own photo identification badge, as do the owners.

In hospitals with therapy dog programs, generally any patient there will receive a visit unless his doctor objects. Some hospitals restrict visits for patients with infections and those with immune system disorders.

And not all therapy programs are limited to dogs. The Delta Society in Portland, Ore., the nation's largest clearinghouse for pet therapy programs, also has programs in which ``pet partners'' are cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, horses, goats, llamas, donkeys, pot-bellied pigs, cockatoos, parrots and chickens.

To learn more about local Delta Society-related therapy pet programs, call [phone] or check the Web site at deltasociety.com.

To inquire about participating in the UCLA therapy dog program, call Cole at [phone]; the Providence Holy Cross Medical Center program by calling Moonyeen Brubaker at [phone], Ext. 1072; and the Create-A-Smile program by calling Daniela Ortner at [phone].