June 2013: Therapy Dogs

Every Sunday I go to church. Yes, that’s right, church. I’m the only dog there and I have a special job to do.

The pastor invited me to the Mawson Lakes Community Church because he said that having the right sort of dog in a group can be good therapy. He said it brings a calming influence and it allows people to receive and give affection.
I sit on a chair next to mummy and I like to listen to the singing and the talking and socialise with members of the congregation. Lots of people chat to us about their dogs, some in laughing tones at the naughty antics of their pets and others in sad tones as they reminisce about deceased dogs.

My friend Lexie, a black labrador, is a therapy dog too. She goes once a week with her dad Mike Holtby to Helping Hand to visit elderly people. She buzzes around her regular friends who make a great fuss of her. It’s an honour for us to work with people in this way and see the pleasure we bring to humans.

Senior Constable Jessica Wilson and Constable Sara O’Rourke
from the Neighbourhood Policing Team.

Therapy dogs are not service or assistance dogs who have a legal right to accompany their owners in most areas. Rather, a therapy dog provides affection and comfort to people in hospitals, retirement homes, nursing homes, schools and hospices.

Therapy dogs come in all sizes and breeds. The most important characteristic of a therapy dog is its temperament. A good therapy dog must be friendly, patient, confident, gentle, and at ease in all situations. They must enjoy human contact and be content to be petted and handled, sometimes clumsily. The dog and the handler need to have excellent communication between them and a high level of trust. If that sounds like you, there may be a role for you to play too as a therapy dog.

In my next role, I’m thinking I’d like to be a police PR dog. I could ride on a bicycle with our lovely neighbourhood police officers (pictured) when they do their rounds of Mawson Lakes. Maybe even get a ride in a police car!