STORY CONTINUES BELOW THESE SALTWIRE VIDEOS
SaltWire's Atlantic regional weather forecast for October 16, 2023 | SaltWire
Watch on YouTube: “SaltWire's Atlantic regional weather forecast for October 16, 2023 | SaltWire”
CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — St. John Ambulance is providing therapy dogs for people in organizations to pet and spend time with as interest continues to grow in P.E.I.
It’s part of a therapy dog program that takes a volunteer and their dog into nursing homes, hospitals, libraries and schools to give love and support to anyone who needs it.
The program gives people an opportunity to pet/cuddle with the dog and talk with volunteers.
It was introduced to P.E.I. in 2000 but wasn’t widely adopted at the time.
The program re-opened in 2018 but when COVID-19 hit, it was impacted by declining interest.
Read more
In 2023, the program started to gain more attention from organizations and volunteers, said Jazlyn MacLeod, the community support manager for St. John Ambulance.
“So, it's kind of restarting again, since COVID. It's definitely picked up a lot this year in 2023. Like, we've definitely had a lot more interest not just from people wanting to join, but in facilities also understanding our program and wanting us to have a regular visit at their facility or come to their events and just be there to visit with the community and their clients.”
“Everybody is very interested, they love the idea of it, they love the purpose behind it.” – Jazlyn MacLeod
Niki McLaughlin is a volunteer with St. John Ambulance. Her dogs Star and Emile are trained service dogs. After undergoing obedience and socialization in Ontario they later joined St. John Ambulance as therapy dogs.
“We decided that with all of that training, it will be a shame to waste. Our dogs are a wonderful companion, and they bring us a lot of joy so it’s only fair that we get to share that joy with other people,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin and her husband became certified in P.E.I. just when COVID hit.
Visits slowed down because of health and safety restrictions but now, as interest continues to grow, they do many visits to schools and nursing homes.
“Lots of students said, ‘oh my gosh, this is wonderful. I just wrote an exam, and this is a great, great way to de-stress or I'm writing tomorrow, and this is a great way to have a little bit of a break before I go back to studying.’”
MacLeod said the pandemic played a huge role in the surge for therapy dogs.
“(I’m) Just seeing a shift and we're focusing a lot more on mental health. We are understanding that it's super important to make sure that we're taking care of ourselves and taking care of each other. And I just think that people are becoming more aware of the program and really understanding the benefits.”
The program is open to organizations to request visits and for volunteers to sign up for their dogs on its website.
There's currently a waiting list for people to sign up with their dogs in P.E.I. but MacLeod say they are working hard to get through it.
“Everybody is very interested, they love the idea of it, they love the purpose behind it,” she said.
Applicants' dogs must be at least a year old, and adopted dogs should have been with their owners for about a year.
Vivian Ulinwa is a reporter with SaltWire in Prince Edward Island. She can be reached by email at [email protected] and followed on X @vivian_ulinwa.
