human-animal bond get stressed or bark in chaotic environments.
“ I remember Toffee went through a phase where she barked excitedly at everyone who arrived at the front door. That’ s not ideal for a therapy dog,” recalls Edith. But with the help of Honey’ s Garden Medic Alert Dogs, an NGO that trains medical service dogs, now, when Toffee is excited, instead of barking she runs to her basket, grabs a toy, and carries it to the front door.“ This keeps her mouth occupied and the children think she’ s bringing them a present. It becomes a lovely point of connection.”
Handlers then pursue certification through groups like Honey’ s Garden, Pets as Therapy SA( PAT), Therapy Dogs International or Alliance of Therapy Dogs. The tests usually involve a handling exam and supervised visits.
Toffee went under a two-hour assessment that looked at how she functions in her working environment.“ How does she greet people? What happens if food falls on the floor? What if someone doesn’ t want her in their space? How does she respond when people are distressed?
More than just puppy cuddles
Research backs what we as pet owners have known for centuries – dogs help us to feel better.
In hospitals they’ ve found that therapy dogs significantly improve both patient outcomes and staff wellbeing. Statistically, brief 15-minute interactions yield a 34 % average reduction in patient anxiety and up to a 37 % decrease in procedural pain.
Therapy dogs in schools and libraries provide proven, measurable benefits, including a 23 % drop in student cortisol( stress) levels and improved literacy confidence.
As we wrote in our feature on Toffee, therapy dogs help children testify. After disasters, they provide grounding for survivors, and in old-age homes, they combat loneliness. With an estimated 87 % of long-term care residents having some form of cognitive impairment or dementia, therapy dogs act as a powerful tool to reduce associated agitation, anxiety, and irritability.
Research also shows that 84 % of autistic individuals experience positive impacts from Dog-Assisted Therapy( DAT), which helps to reduce stress, improves child self-regulation, and acts as“ social facilitators” that increase positive peer interactions by providing a focal point for genuine engagement.
Dogs are known as“ man’ s( or woman’ s, or child’ s) best friend” – and with good reason. Though they won’ t replace medicine or therapists, they do offer something unique: unconditional, agenda-free presence.
“ In therapy rooms we expect her to be intuitive – to recognise distress and respond appropriately,” explains Edith.
How does that work in practice?“ I once had a little boy who was absolutely devastated. Toffee slowly leopard-crawled over to him and nudged her nose underneath his arm. He wrapped his arms around her, and she stayed there for as long as he needed,” Edith recalls.
She feels distress, but instead of avoiding it, she moves towards it.
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