St. John Ambulance knows many people can benefit physically and emotionally from regular contact with the unconditional love of a dog.

St. John Ambulance’s Therapy Dog Program takes a volunteer and their dog into hospitals, seniors' residences or nursing homes on a weekly basis. Partnerships have been established in these kinds of settings, where people are often restricted from having pets, to make the Therapy Dog visitation easier and on a regular basis.

Regular feedback from members of the medical, nursing, therapy and recreation personnel in the host institutions, have contributed to an increased interest in the program. On-going dialogue has also ensured that program expectations are being met for patients, volunteers and for St. John Ambulance.

Program Details:

Activities:
The Therapy Dog program provides an opportunity for patients/residents to:

• Talk with the volunteer and the dog
• Feel, touch, pet, stroke and/or cuddle the dog
• Receive unconditional love from the dog
• Assist with walking the dog on a leash

Impact:
Through petting, affection, and regular visitation of a dog, patients/residents find peace in the gentle contact with the dog and in its quiet presence. Patients talk more to others, participate in activities, eat and sleep better, smile more. As a result their quality of life is improved.
Other program benefits have been found to include:

• Reducing stress levels
• Lowering blood pressure
• Calming the distressed
• Comforting the despondent
• Distracting the pain-ridden

Volunteer Benefits:
Community involvement and volunteer satisfaction.

Volunteer Requirements:

We are looking for:
Individuals who wish to provide health care-oriented volunteer service within their community using their pet (dog) to assist.

Volunteer Age Group:
Volunteer must be 18 years of age or older. Dog must be one year of age or older.

Training Pre-requisites:
Volunteers:

• Must be physically and mentally capable of performing the activities that are reasonable for the type of service they may be providing
• Must complete an application process and a criminal record check

Dogs:

• Dogs one year of age or older
• Accepting of a friendly stranger
• Sitting calmly for petting
• Walking on a loose leash
• Walking through a crowd (including wheelchairs)
• Sitting on command/staying in place
• Reacting well to another dog or to distractions (noise, jogger, etc)

Time Requirement:
Volunteers and their dogs are generally expected to provide weekly 15-20 minutes of visitation per patient, which is the minimum to create a bond between the patient and the dog.

Skills Development:
Volunteers are required to undergo extensive orientation related to the service they may be providing.

Interested in Volunteering with our Therapy Dog Program? Fill out our Volunteer Interest Form today! How about becoming a leader with our program?  Find out more below!