Animal-assisted therapy program marks 20 years

By Michelle Cochrane

TRENTON, Ont. (09/02/12) Trent Valley Lodge resident, Marie Latimer, is comforted in bed by St. John Ambulance therapy dog, Bandit. Bandit visits long-term care facilities and hospitals, offering companionship to those in need of comfort or emotional support. Photo by Michelle Cochrane.

The St. John Ambulance therapy dog program is getting “pawsitive” reviews as it celebrates 20 years of service.

Dog handler Joyce Fowler has been volunteering within the Quinte division of St. John Ambulance for six years with her two Shetland sheepdogs. Fowler takes her dogs on weekly visits to Trent Valley Lodge seniors home and Trenton Memorial Hospital.

“Some patients or residents will respond to an animal when they won’t respond to people,” said Fowler.

Canines have been key members of the average family home for quite some time. St John Ambulance is taking that familiar, comforting feeling of family pets into communities across Canada through their volunteer therapy dog program.

Volunteer visits provide happiness and companionship to people who are sick or in need. Dogs are unaware of human frailties and respond to physical and mental illness, confusion, tears, and have the ability to distract those in discomfort.

Many people are able to benefit physically and emotionally from regular contact with the unconditional love of a dog.

Volunteer dogs are not specially trained for the program but are required to pass an evaluation that tests temperament of the dog and the handler’s control in various situations.

Heather Rodrigues, manager of life enrichment at Trent Valley Lodge in Trenton, believes it is important for the health of residents to have visits from therapy dogs.

“I think it takes residents back to when they had a pet at home and it’s really good therapy for them. They come alive,” said Rodrigues. “If they’ve been upset, you see a big change in them and they forget all their troubles when the dog comes in.”

Trent Valley resident Bonnie Lynn Jones says the visits calm her down and brighten her day.

“It makes me feel a part of the normal world where they can have dogs,” said Jones. “My blood pressure goes down when I pet an animal.”

Many residents look forward to the weekly visits of their four-legged companions and welcome their arrival with open arms and cookies in hand.

Leslie Jack, provincial therapy dog program coordinator for St. John Ambulance, understands the virtual walls and barriers people may put up in their lives, but finds it amazing what people can say to a dog and not to people.

“We’ve seen a firefighter put his arms around a dog and just sob to the dog, where he couldn’t talk to people,” said Jack. “Dogs can help release that emotion and people aren’t ashamed.”

The therapy dog program dates back to 1992 in Peterborough. Jenny, a Bouvier des Flandres, and her handler were visiting local retirement homes and approached St. John Ambulance with the idea of a larger program.

The dog therapy program grew from there and now it includes 42 divisions across Ontario, which is nearly half of the national total.

Over the years, the volunteer service has grown from visiting seniors homes, and hospitals, to helping young children improve their reading skills, provide stress relief to university and college students during exam periods and aid in critical incident stress debriefings.

“We’ve been getting more schools and libraries on board. The reading program is really taking off,” said Jack. “We can hardly keep up, but that’s great.”

Growing to meet the demands of local communities, program officials say they will provide visits in any way needed.

“It’s all from feedback. If people call us, we try to meet their needs,” said Jack.

In the near future, Jack hopes the program will be more involved in children’s programs and would like to see the service branch out into play therapy.

“The nicest feedback is the amazement we get from staff, seeing people respond to the dogs,” said Jack. “It’s the little miracles; they aren’t huge, they aren’t going to make the news, but that’s what keeps us going.”