Dustin Sobkow lights up when Willow and Charley enter the room.
Sobkow is a non-verbal alternative education student at Sacred Heart High School. Willow is a standard poodle; Charley is a chocolate Lab. They are part of a St. John's Ambulance (SJA) therapy dog program that visits people with challenges and the elderly at various locations around the city.
"They make me happy and smile a lot," Dustin communicated via electronic tablet. "I really like to pet them and take them for a walk. I like to show the other students in school Willow and Charley."
SJA started the program in 1992 in Peterborough, Ontario and it has since grown to reach thousands of people all across Canada.
The organization's website describes the impact as follows:
"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."
Deb McInnis and Joanne Speidel-Blahut, the owners and handlers of Willow and Charley respectively, have seen this first hand.
"We've had clients that had fear and now they don't," said McInnis. "We've had clients that don't do much interaction with their hands, but reach down and brush the dog or pet the dog.
"I've had people in the Alzheimer's unit that just kind of look off in space, but all of a sudden you put their hand on the dog and they run their hand up and down on the dog and all of a sudden you can just see a faint little smile coming out on their face."
She also told the story of a woman who had not left her room since she had moved into a nursing home, but after visiting with Willow, emerged.
"We've had people who aren't necessarily verbal and we walk in and they'll say, 'oh, there's a puppy,' and the staff there will say, 'oh, you talk'," added Speidel-Blahut. "It's amazing, they don't hear them being verbal and all of a sudden the animal has triggered something in those people, aroused that part of their brain."
McInnis kind of stumbled upon the program.
"My husband had to have hip surgery and we went to Saskatoon and City Hospital is pet-friendly, so I took my dog with me and she was a big hit there," she explained. "Everybody was really impressed with her temperament and nurses were coming in and taking her to different floors.
"I was coming down the stairs one day and a paramedic stopped me and he said, 'is this Willow?' and I said, 'yes,' and he said, 'you've got to get her certified."
McInnis recruited her long time friend Speidel-Blahut and the two signed up to have their dogs certified.
"The test itself is just displaying scenarios you might be in like nursing homes with wheelchairs and walkers, people slumped over, people who might be more forward people that might be more shy," Speidel-Blahut explained. "They put scenarios like that. They might make little noises and create environments in which you might be taking the dogs."
Both dogs have the perfect demeanor for the program which includes: being accepting of strangers, sitting calmly for petting, walking on a loose leash, walking through a crowd (including wheelchairs), sitting and staying on command and reacting well to other dogs or distractions.
SJA says the volunteers also get a lot out of it, which Speidel-Blahut verified.
"For me, it's fulfillment and the joy of seeing the response that the dog gets from the people," she said.
McInnis believes dogs are perfectly suited for the job.
"When I was in Saskatoon, I had a girlfriend that used to come visit me and we'd go up to see my husband together and she'd always stop at the door and ask if she could take the dog in and I never understood why," she said. "Finally, I asked her one day and she said, 'because everybody smiles at me and recognizes me when I walk in.'
"That's what dogs do. They have that air about them, that quality that they have unconditional love. They don't care what you wear, what you look like, who you are; they will love you for what you are."
The two women now regularly visit The Bentley, the Sask Abilities Centre and the alternative education classes at both high schools.
Arden Fiala, formerly of Yorkton, was responsible for getting the Bentley on board. Approximately 18 months ago, Fiala's family's life was changed by a therapy dog named Painter.
Fiala was scheduled to receive the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal at a ceremony in Regina. Her daughter, who has autism spectrum disorder, was upset by the commotion and had to be taken from the room. Fiala had no idea how they would make it through the ceremony.
Then they met Painter, whose handler was also a medal recipient.
"She calmed right down and sat through the entire reception," Fiala said.
The family then got their own dog, a re-homed Sheltie. Fiala said it has completely changed their lives.
"It is such a gift," she said.
Last March, they brought the dog to Yorkton when they visited Fiala's mother at The Bentley. The mother was so taken with the dog, Fiala proposed the idea of bringing therapy dogs into the residence.
Unfortunately, before the program came to The Bentley, Fiala's mother had to be moved to a nursing home. Fiala is now working on getting therapy dogs into the nursing home.
Unfortunately, there is only so much McInnis and Speidel-Blahut can do and they are currently operating at their capacity as the only two volunteers in Yorkton.
Ashley Balysky, a community services coordinator with SJA in Regina, said the organization is trying to recruit more volunteers in Yorkton because of demand.
People with suitable dogs-they can be any breed as long as they are calm, friendly and trained-may contact the SJA at 306-522-7226 or visit the website www.sja.ca.
