Therapy dogs help take away the sting

Andre Hotel beamed with excitement as he sat next to a certified therapy dog before getting poked with three needles in his arms during a doctor’s appointment at a Brandon clinic on Tuesday.

The five-year-old boy watched in awe as dog handler Emmy Elliot got her chocolate-coloured Chihuahua, Vinny, to perform tricks such as spinning, bowing and sneezing as he waited for the nurse to step into the office.

“Sometimes we come here and help kids that are a little bit nervous not be nervous,” Elliot told the boy.

Andre focused on Vinny as he sat still next to his brother Carter, 6, and his mother, Cecile — and before he knew it, the nurse was putting Band-Aids on his skin.

“I was so worried about how he would do, and I feel like this is just a nice distraction,” Cecile said.

She turned toward Andre and said having Vinny at the appointment “helps us be brave.”

This is one of many “pawsitive” interactions Elliot and her five-year-old dog have with people in the community.

Her and Vinny have been involved with PATDogs, a Westman therapy dog group, for about four years. The group initially had two or three dog teams but has drastically expanded to around 40 since the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

Elliot said she tries to attend community events weekly by taking Vinny to visit seniors in personal care homes and patients at the Brandon Regional Health Centre or medical clinics.

“Lots of times when we leave a visit, people will say, ‘That just made my day,’” she said.

“They’re just completely uplifted after a dog has visited.”

Vinny provides a calming, non-judgmental presence for patients who are going through a difficult time, who may be feeling lonely or don’t have family or friends that come visit, Elliot said.

Watching her dog brighten someone’s day is a rewarding feeling, she added.

Vinny is certified through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs, a U.S. non-profit organization with more than 15,000 members, and has advanced training to provide emotional support during traumatic events through Hope Animal-Assisted Crisis Response.

Therapy dogs with the crisis response certification help to ease people’s anxiety, reduce stress and comfort those in the aftermath of a natural disaster, vehicle collision, critical emergency or the loss of a loved one, Elliot said.

PATDogs partners with first responders, mental-health professionals, schools, hospitals and community organizations to provide immediate and ongoing support.

Vinny often sits on someone’s lap as they speak about vulnerable experiences in a medical setting. Elliot said she has noticed people become more talkative when they pet or hold him.

“Sometimes, even just having that focal point for somebody to look at a dog while they’re explaining their feelings or something going on, can just act as a distraction, so they don’t have to make eye contact with other people,” she said.

The therapy group is accommodating when they approach people and don’t force anyone to interact with the dogs if they aren’t comfortable or have an allergy.

Therapy dogs come in all sizes and breeds and must be friendly, patient, gentle and content with being pet, cuddled and handled by strangers.

There are approximately 50 dog and handler teams that provide therapeutic visits in hospitals and personal care homes across Prairie Mountain Health, the regional health authority says on its website.

Dario Antonissen said he’s in the process of receiving final verification from Prairie Mountain Health to take his six-year-old border collie mix, Zoe, into hospitals and medical clinics.

“She’s definitely suitable for that type of role, and she’s a very caring dog,” Antonissen said.

He plans to start going into these facilities in June.

“It would be pretty beneficial to go to a hospital and seeing the impact it has on like kids,” he said.

“I lost my sister-in-law a few years back to cancer, so like I probably want to do the cancer side as well.”

Zoe is a therapy dog with PATDogs and was granted her Alliance of Therapy Dogs certification in January. Antonissen said he was inspired to have Zoe trained as a therapy dog after he saw the impact she had on people around him who were recovering from surgery or struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Antonissen said he can’t wait for the moment when he can watch sick patients start beaming with joy once they get to spend time with Zoe.

So far, Zoe has comforted students in schools, youth at activity centres, veterans at legions and military personnel at the Shilo base where Antonissen works.

“Her personality is very, very outgoing, and it’s pretty hard not to kind of smile or laugh at her, like she’s kind of a goofball,” he said.

» tadamski@brandonsun.com