Dan Bledsaw, a pastor at Providence Baptist Church on Clover Road and the chaplain of American Legion Post 172 in Tracy has a four-legged partner in his outreach to community members and veterans in need.
Perkins, a 2-year-old Dutch Shepherd mix, is part of a growing ministry as a comfort dog helping Bledsaw break down barriers with people in need of assistance.
“It’s been proven introducing a dog into an environment, people petting it, brings down tension levels and science has proven it also promotes healing,” Bledsaw said. “So that’s why a lot of the care facilities like you to bring them in because the people pet them, and they just get happier.”
Bledsaw adopted Perkins from the Sacramento SPCA when she was 12-weeks old and began training her for the “The Paws of Providence” ministry at the church, getting her used to being touched, tugged and petted.
Perkins almost died several months ago after contracting coonhound paralysis from racoon saliva.
“Her story as a comfort dog is, she has gone from death’s door to come here,” Bledsaw said.
The Paws of Providence or, POP, has been going for almost a year as Bledsaw visits different spots around town welcoming people to visit with Perkins, who he named after a character on the Parks and Recreation television series.
“The dogs are awesome. We had several people on Saturday that came up and were talking to us, and they started crying, sharing their grief and stuff and they needed some comfort,” Bledsaw said. “So the dog is a tool to be able to bring people’s tension levels down and also to open a up a conversation so I as a chaplain can actually start to talk to them and help them process.”
In addition to Perkins, POP also has Lucy, a 2-year-old Fox Red English Labrador who is still in training with Bledsaw’s wife Malinda as her handler. Both dogs are American Kennel Club certified as Good Citizens. Bledsaw said he paid for the cost for training and the church has paid for a $2 million liability policy, joking that it’s in case someone bites the dog.
“From what I have found unless someone is totally terrified of a dog — everybody when they see, ‘Oh it’s a doggie, can I pet your doggie? — the dog seems to bring out a child in people almost, some of an innocence, and so they are not as threatening,” Bledsaw said.
One Sunday a month the dogs attend church services, usually sitting in the front row.
He said people who may be apprehensive or withdrawn can be helped by the dogs
“The dog helps bring walls down. Barriers are there, seems like the dogs bring those barriers down whether you are trying to comfort someone who has a lost a family member, because a comfort dog is the next level above a therapy dog. They’re designed to go into a higher stress situation,” Bledsaw said.
Bledsaw, a U.S. Air Force veteran, recently became chaplain of American Legion Post 172 in Tracy and has been working over the past 6 months to expand the comfort dog ministry as a way to help veterans.
“A lot of these care facilities and convalescent homes have a ton of veterans in there,” Bledsaw said.
He wants to eventually be able to take Perkins to the new Veterans Administration clinic under construction in French Camp and go to events that have veterans attending.
“I have see it, in just the few months we’ve working with her, where people will be standing there petting her and I tell people I’m a chaplain. I’m trained to identify, to look, to help, to give some guidance or get them headed in the right direction. With the vets they have a soft spot because I’m a vet and that’s my goal with her, to reach as many veterans as we can, to be able to let them know we still remember you, we appreciate what you did.”
He has been taking Perkins to care facilities and senior retirement homes so Perkins can visit with veterans.
During visits Perkins wears a vest with patches representing all branches of military service.
“When she puts on her vest, whether she is working with the vets or our church’s Paws of Providence ministry, she knows the minute that vest goes on she going to work,” Bledsaw said.
Once Lucy is fully trained and joins the team having two comfort dogs will help spread the load around.
“When we go into a facility or school we can split up and cover more ground,” Bledsaw said. “We’re using her in different aspects as the ministry grows. One of the hinderances is I do have a regular day job. We could have a full ticket with the people that are wanting us to come. We have to pick and choose and then be wise with what we are doing, but we’re thankful for every opportunity we have.”
Bledsaw said community members wanting more information about the comfort dog ministry can contact him at (209) 836-4171 or comfortdog@providencetracy.com and veterans can reach out to him at the American Legion Post on North Tracy Boulevard or at alpost172chaplain@gmail.com.
• Contact Glenn Moore at gmoore@tracypress.com, or call 209-830-4252.