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 PDG Nancy introduced our speaker Don Bergen, who is the owner of “Opie”, a 6-year old male Shetland Sheepdog (commonly called “Shelties”). Opie has advanced through several levels of training and become a St John Ambulance Therapy Dog as well as a Trick Dog Champion. Opie’s owner, Don Bergen, a retired Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), is an off-ice official with both the NHL since the Jets came back to Winnipeg and the AHL at Moose Games.
Don explained that he would be talking about the St John Ambulance (S J A) organization, some of their programs, the differences between the different kinds of assistance animals (therapy dogs being just one of those), how to become a volunteer with the St John Ambulance therapy dog program, the places that therapy dogs go to and what they do, some of the benefits of therapy dog visits, how Pet Therapy can be used as a professional tool and end the presentation with volunteer perspectives. There are 10 councils of St John Ambulance in Canada. Manitoba, Nunavut and Northwest Territories form one council. Revenues from first aid course registrations are the main source of funding for the community services programs. Medical First Responder Volunteers are trained by St John Ambulance and in return SJA provides first aid coverage of community events. A brief video about what St John Ambulance (one of the world’s oldest charitable organizations) does in the community got Opie very excited! The S J A Therapy Dog program was established in Canada in 1992 and in Manitoba in 1997. There are about 140 active Therapy Dog volunteer teams in the MB-NWT and Nunavut council, offering about 8000 hours of volunteer service each year. Service Dogs are specifically trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability or to work with peace officers. Emotional Support Dogs provide emotional comfort and support to their handler. Therapy Dogs are meant to engage and interact with the public providing comfort and support to many people in settings such as hospitals, assistant care facilities, and schools. To become a Therapy Dog Team, the dog must be at least one year old and have spent at least six months in a relationship with the handler/owner. The handler and dog have to be able to work together and navigate in various settings. There are no limits on the breed (or size) of dogs that can become Therapy dogs. Any kind temperament, non-aggressive, with no fearful behaviours, and well-socialized dog that is responsive to its handler will work. Since SJA does not provide training for Therapy dogs, a training program like the Canine Good Neighbour course provides training that simulates the requirements for the SJA Therapy Dog evaluation. (The Canine Good Neighbour program is a 6 week, 12 step test consisting of the following steps: Accepting A Friendly Stranger, Politely Accepts Petting, Appearance and Grooming, Out For A Walk, Walking Through A Crowd, Sit/Down On Command and Stay In Place, Come When Called, Praise/Interaction, Reaction To A Passing Dog, Reaction To Distractions, Supervised Isolation and Walking Through A Door/Gate.) In addition to the passing the SJA Therapy Dog evaluation (a standard test that is the same across the country – set up for adult settings or for child settings), the volunteers have to attend the SJA orientation first, complete an application, go through a background check, then provide and maintain vet and vaccination records for the dog. St John Ambulance has insurance for all Therapy Dog team visits. Therapy Dog teams are matched with a facility (e.g. hospitals, senior residences, acute long term care facilities, community centres, libraries, rehabilitation centres, etc.) where they visit on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. When visiting facilities, the team starts with introducing the dog, and asking if the people present would like to pet the dog. Therapy Dog teams provide mental, social, and emotional benefits to the people in the facility being visited. Another program involves development of literacy skills where children read to the Therapy Dog. There’s also a special program for children with special needs (to develop calm behaviour, increase the child’s confidence). Some placements involve high risk individuals and youths at locations like the airport, Stoney Mountain penitentiary, and even the Winnipeg Police Service headquarters. Therapy Dog teams were invited to the athletes’ village in the 2017 Summer Games. Therapy Dog visits to businesses can improve morale, lower stress levels and promote positive mental health. The suggested honorarium for a workplace visit is $40 per visit per team, which goes entirely to the Therapy Dog program. Some teams have also gone to vaccination clinics. In addition to the target group, both the handler and the Therapy Dog benefit from these visits. The presentation ended with a moving video about why a sister of a young man who died of cancer at the age of 18 became a Therapy Dog volunteer. Her brother had really enjoyed visits of a Therapy Dog team while he was in the hospital. PDG Ed thanked Don for coming to speak to the club. |
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