For over 25 years, East Central Therapy Dog Volunteers and their dogs have been visiting hospital wards, long term care homes and VON Day Centres in Peterborough, Lakefield and Millbrook. They also visit schools including local high schools, Trent University and Fleming College to help students destress at exam time. Last year, their more than 80 volunteers and their dogs contributed almost 8,000 volunteer hours.
The organization is a not-for-profit that is completely self-supporting through its annual calendar sales, which fund the purchase of uniforms and leashes for the volunteers and provide the required insurance coverage for their clients.
All dogs are temperament tested before they are accepted into the program to ensure they are suited to their task. They must be calm and confident in a crowded, institutional setting, and are put through a temperament evaluation that simulates situations they might face on the job such as sudden loud noises, wheelchairs and white coats! While it’s not an obedience test, dogs must remain under control at all times.
Therapy dogs provide the gift of unconditional love to their clients. The simple act of petting a dog has been proven to release an automatic relaxation response, lowering blood pressure. They can reduce loneliness, stress and anxiety by providing an external focus of attention. In addition to alleviating signs of depression, they can reduce agitation in dementia patients and provide welcome distraction from institutional settings. In short, they can improve the quality of life for their clients while their handlers enjoy the satisfaction of making a difference in their community.
Therapy dogs are not service dogs, which are trained for a specific task such as aiding hearing or visually impaired clients and are trained to focus solely on their handlers. Those dogs wear vests that discourage attention. On the contrary, therapy dogs invite attention. The whole point is to pet them and interact with them.
People volunteers must be at least 19 years of age and commit to one visit per week at an assigned location. The continuity of this commitment builds friendships between the volunteers and the clients, which makes the experience even more rewarding for all involved. Handlers attend an orientation session and accompany an experienced volunteer before heading out on their own.
If you think you may be interested in joining this group, consider attending their next information session scheduled for March 25th at 7pm at Applewood Retirement Residence to learn more about the organization. The next dog evaluation date is April 13th. For more information, contact Anne Corke, Coordinator, East Central Therapy Dogs at amcorke@gmail.com or call 705-749-9698. The organization is always looking for new recruits! KG
