Nursing home residents love to pat puppies

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Pets
Sheila MacGowan

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Many people give of themselves and volunteer in the community but did you know that your dog can also be a volunteer? Today we are going to look at how your dog can help better the lives of other people.
It is well known that the simple act of petting a dog can help to make a person feel calm, lower blood pressure and give a person an overall sense of contentment. Unfortunately some of the people that could use this unconditional love the most are unable to have a dog or cat of their own. This is where groups such as the St John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program comes into play. The Therapy Dog Program places dogs and their owners into nursing homes and other care facilities to give the residents a chance to interact with the dogs and reap all of the benefits that this provides to people. Just the presence of a dog in the facility can brighten the day for many people.
Not just any dog can or should be involved in providing love and comfort as a therapy dog; it does take a special dog. This work needs a dog that is calm, does not startle easily, is people friendly but not so much that they want to jump or paw at them and has a very good command of basic obedience. You have to remember that many of the facilities that the dog will be visiting have people in wheelchairs or using walkers so it is essential that the dog not react to these devices. You may also be dealing with people who have issues of vocal or muscle control so the dog cannot react to sudden movements or sounds.
There are basic criteria that must be met in order to be a member of the St John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program. The dog must be at least one year old, they must be healthy and current on their vaccines, and you will require a letter from your veterinarian to that effect. There is no breed restriction and I know of a Rottweiler that has been a therapy dog for a number of years. There is an evaluation process to determine the suitability of a dog to the program and a training session for those accepted.
If you have been considering volunteering and think that your dog would be a good candidate you should contact the St John Ambulance for more information. There are also some facilities that encourage people to bring their dogs outside of the St John Ambulance program and I am all in favour of this. It is important to keep in mind that although you believe that you have the greatest dog in the world this is not a job for all dogs and the health and safety of the residents comes first.

Dr. Sheila MacGowan, co-owner of the Hampton Veterinary Clinic, lives in Rothesay. Her pets column runs bi-weekly in KV Style. If you have questions of comments, email her at hvcpetdoc@gmail.com.