SOCIAL CAUSES
Canada ’ s
Best Friends
by Janice Dudar
The St . John Ambulance Therapy Dog program has come a long way since its inception in 1992 , with just one dog , Jenny , and her handler , Jim Newell . Today , there are about 3500 dog / handler teams helping to enrich Canadian communities from coast to coast . The healing nature of the presence of these dogs has made a difference in many lives .
Few might know this as well as Leslie Jack , Provincial Therapy Dog Advisor for Ontario . Her now-grown and well-adjusted son , Matthew , struggled with Autism and Tourette ’ s as a boy and was greatly helped by the family ’ s dog , a Labrador retriever named Spike . Spike made a profound difference in Matthew ’ s confidence , communicativeness , and wellbeing ; the dog seemed to always intuitively know when he was needed close by .
Seeing what a dog did for her own son was something Ms . Jack never forgot . The experience influenced her future involvement in all aspects of the St . John Ambulance Therapy Dog program . “ Our volunteers inspire me every day ,” she says , “ and I feel humbled and grateful to be a part of this program .”
Last year , there were more than 160,000 Therapy Dog visits in Ontario alone . The dog / handler teams at St . John Ambulance have to go through a rigorous screening and training process before being accepted into the program .
Services provided by the Therapy Dogs include pleasantly distracting patients awaiting treatment , boosting the morale of people in correctional facilities and helping soldiers suffering from PTSD . Through the “ Paws 4 Stories ” program , the dogs also help children learn about safety issues and practice their reading skills .
“ The students with autism are especially settled ,” says teacher Anne Nakasuji after a Therapy Dog visit to special needs students at Malvern Junior Public School in Toronto .
The dog / handler teams also work in collaboration with police and fire departments , the military , psychiatrists , psychologists and social workers , providing solace to victims of critical incident stress , crime , tragedy and abuse .
It has been well documented that dogs can have a soothing and calming effect on people . It tends to come naturally to them to provide support and comfort in so many ways . There is something about petting and interacting with a dog that seems to draw people out of themselves and away from their troubles .
St . John Ambulance welcomes potential Therapy Dog volunteers who are interested in helping the program “ bring small miracles ” to communities across Canada . “ We see miracles every day ,” says Leslie Jack , voice wavering , “ and many of those miracles are not small at all .” Subaru Canada , Inc . was recently announced as the Signature Sponsor for this essential program . For more information , please visit www . sja . ca .
TOP PHOTO COURTESY OF NITA PUNNETT ; TOP RIGHT PHOTO COURTESY OF SUZIE FARROW ; MIDDLE RIGHT PHOTO COURTESY OF LORI THWAITES . BOTTOM RIGHT PHOTO COURTESY OF LESLIE JACK .