Paws & Play is the facility dog program at Mount Sinai Kravis Children’s Hospital. Summer and Icee, our beloved facility dogs, are full-time “employees” in the Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Department. This program pairs Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) with the skills of Certified Child Life Specialists and Licensed Creative Arts Therapists to provide therapeutic interventions for patients, families, staff, faculty and trainees. Research has shown that AAT and facility dogs increase positive behaviors, reduce experiences of pain, lower blood pressure, and decrease experiences of depression and fatigue. Just as important, AAT has also proven to reduce patient anxiety during medical appointments, decrease feelings of isolation, and provide opportunities for increased social support. This program is supported by the generosity of our donors. We thank you for your contributions. Without your support, this program would not be possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some answers to questions we often hear about Paws & Play.

What is a facility dog?

A facility dog is an animal specially trained to work in the health care environment. Summer and Icee were trained as medical service dogs at Canine Assistants in Milton, Georgia, where they were exposed to a variety of environments and experiences to prepare them to work with the children, families, staff, faculty and trainees at our hospital.

How is this program special?

Certified Child Life Specialists and Licensed Creative Arts Therapists incorporate. Summer and Icee into therapeutic treatment plans using AAT to address the clinical needs of our pediatric patients. AAT is a goal-directed intervention that incorporates the animal into the treatment process. 

The “Paws & Play Care for Clinical Teams” is an innovative program which aims to provide well-being and resilience opportunities for staff, faculty, and trainees in the hospital’s adult areas. Our mission is dedicated to reducing burnout, stress, and depression in the workplace and to positively impact patient care. Stay tuned for updates on our newest “Care for Clinical Teams” dog dyad, coming this year!

Where do Summer and Icee work?

Summer is based in the inpatient pediatric medical surgical units and pediatric intensive care units. Icee, our newest facility dog who joined our team in June 2025, works with his clinical handlers on the inpatient pediatric hematology/oncology unit and , at the outpatient pediatric hematology/oncology clinic. Summer and Icee are full-time facility dogs who each spend 40 hours per week at the hospital, based on their handler’s schedule.

Can families request to meet Summer and Icee?

Yes. If your child is having a difficult time coping with the hospital environment, is experiencing significant pain, or needs more motivation to achieve clinical goals, you can contact your child life specialist to request an animal assisted therapy session.

How did Summer and Icee get their names? What is their breed?

Both dogs were named at Canine Assistants where they were born and trained. Summer, a golden/lab mix, is named after the character Summer Higgins from the hit TV show, Yellowstone. Icee, a golden labradoodle, is named after the beloved “ICEE” frozen drink.

Where do Summer and Icee live?

Summer lives with her primary handler, Bethany Pincus. Summer enjoys playing with toys, getting a lot of pets and spending time outside in summer, the season. Icee lives with his primary handler, Kaleigh Bieling. Icee enjoys taking naps, “chilling” out and walking around his new home, NYC!

Emeritus Facility Dogs

Mount Sinai pediatric facility dog, Amos, retired in March 2024 after almost eight years of service providing more than 12,000 Animal Assisted Therapy sessions to children, families, and Mount Sinai staff. Paws & Play: Care for Clinical Teams facility dog, Moby, retired in December 2024. Moby provided over six years of service to the Mount Sinai community working across the health system promoting resilience and well being among staff, faculty, and trainees. Mount Sinai’s first facility dog, Professor Bunsen Honeydew, retired in June 2025 after over eight years of service providing AAT primarily to the hematology/oncology population. During his time at Mount Sinai, Professor provided over 22,000 AAT sessions and was a part of a innovative research study looking at pediatric pain during invasive procedures. Good boys, Amos, Moby and Professor!

How do I get more information about the Paws & Play Program?

For more information about our pediatric Paws & Play program, please contact Ali Spikestein at Ali.Spikestein@mountsinai.org.

Follow Summer and Icee on Instagram for the latest updates @MountSinai_PawsandPlay

Read about the recent work of our facility dogs in the latest issue of the Discover, the department’s quarterly newsletter.