Calling all pups: Therapy dog program accepting applications — as long as your pooch plays nice

A London-based therapy dog program is looking for more pups to join its ranks of comforting canines.

St. John Ambulance in London-Middlesex is hoping to expand its therapy dog roster to better serve people in need, whether it be in long-term care facilities, hospitals, schools, or other settings.

“Our dogs are welcome additions to all the places we go,” said Lynn Loubert, the program's coordinator, whose chocolate lab named Kyla participates in the program. 

“You can imagine it's probably the best part of some of their days. It brings back memories of past pets, it brings smiles to their face, sometimes it even helps in communication skills because when they're petting the dog, they seem to remember and talk better.”

The program has been running for 30 years and is used as a tool in a variety of settings. Some dogs are dispatched to Western University and Fanshawe College to help with exam season stress. Others visit long-term care facilities and camps for children with disabilities.

On Wednesday a group of dogs, including Kyla, a golden retriever named Mulligan, and a pug named Zombie, visited a group of children at Ronald McDonald House Southwestern Ontario at London's Children's Hospital.

Currently, Loubert said, the program has 56 dogs on its roster, but she's always looking for more applicants.

“Some age out of the program, sometimes they can't keep up. Prior to COVID we had 95 dogs. There's no magic number, but we really see the need to grow and get more love out into the community,” she said.

Being a therapy dog isn't all pets and cuddles, though, and the list of requirements isn't something every dog can live up to.

The perfect applicant is gentle, non-reactive, patient and friendly. They also don't react to equipment like wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds and more. They're well-socialized, and perhaps most importantly, well-vetted.

“There is a very extensive evaluation for the team by an independent evaluator and they see how the dogs react in certain circumstances that would be related to their volunteering, and also with other dogs,” said Loubert.

“We also require our (human) volunteers to get a police check because obviously they're working with vulnerable people.” Some volunteers also need to get special vaccines, she added. 

Meaningful work

Tracey Silverthorn and her dogs, have been volunteering for the program for 17 years.

The work is just as rewarding for her as it is helpful for the people her dogs interact with, she said. 

“I've done a lot of work with palliative care, with subacute medicine. Zombie was actually, before COVID, the official therapy dog at Children's Hospital,” she said.

“You get to know these families on a personal level. Sometimes it's heartbreaking, sometimes it's joyous when you're standing in the middle of Costco and a child comes up and taps you on the hip and says, ‘Do you remember me?'”

Silverthorn encouraged people to look into applying to get involved, provided their dogs fit the bill.

“Not only do people benefit from my dog, but I benefit from what I get out of the program — seeing people enjoying my dogs.”