Anna-Belle struts into the Brightwater Senior Living home like she owns the place. The two-year-old bulldog is here to see old friends and make some new ones.
Since March, Anna-Belle has been working as a therapy dog. She visits seniors, students and people being treated for mental health and addiction issues.
On the surface her job is simple – brighten people’s day. Her owner and handler Colleen Dell is a sociologist who specializes in healing and wellness. She’s using Anna-Belle and two other dogs to study the positive effects dogs can have on mental health.
As test-subject jobs go, Anna-Belle has a pretty good gig.
They set up in a quiet common area near some of the residents’ rooms. Word of the visit spreads quickly.
“My friend has come to see me!” Reuben Ziolkowski bursts out of his room – as much as one can while using a walker – with a look of pure joy on his face. Before long he’s seated, getting sloppy kisses.
Within minutes Annabelle is surrounded by seniors waiting their turn. She spreads the love, going from person to person, drawing coos of affection.
She’s not as high-strung as many dogs would be in the middle of such enthusiasm. Instead she projects confidence. She knows they love her.
Before starting her therapy job, Anna-Belle was certified by St. John’s Ambulance. One of the main tests involves being surrounded by eight or more people clamouring for affection.
“I think it’s their nature and their temperament. Just like people,” Dell says later over the phone. When she decided to start the program, she was worried about how her dogs would handle themselves. Since being brought out to Dell’s acreage as a puppy, Anna-Belle had never been into the city.
She passed the tests, earning the red scarf that’s draped around her neck, and has been out meeting people ever since.
Therapy dogs provide different things to different people. For Sheila Gawley, a resident at Brightwater, it’s a reminder of the years she spent raising dogs with her husband.
Another of Anna-Belle’s main spots is the University of Saskatchewan, where she takes students’ minds off the rigours of school.
“Having the puppy helps relieve some of that stress that’s inevitable with student life,” says Marylou Mintram, who happened to be in the Aboriginal Student Centre on campus one day when Anna-Belle stopped in.
“They bring joy. They help us with hard times,” says Mintram.
Dell is in the process of arranging to take dogs into the regional psychiatric center to visit women with more severe mental health issues. She and Anna-Belle will also be going to Illinois in the near future for a training program that involves war veterans receiving treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.
Putting her dogs in different treatment scenarios is key to Dell’s studies about how and when therapy dogs should be used.
“It’s that connection, and that interaction that happens between the individual and the animal. I wish I could measure that. I’d like to understand it better,” she says.
She also has Anna-Belle making friends online through a Facebook page. More than 250 people follow the page, where Dell posts as Anna-Belle, sharing pictures and talking about her various excursions.
“If you start a relationship with her, and she brought a little joy to your life, how do you continue that? I thought Facebook would be one way,” says Dell.
Back at Brightwater Senior Living home, the crowd starts to thin after an hour or so as people head off to their rooms or to other activities.
Soon only Reuben remains, soaking up as much Anna-Belle time as he can.
He even takes her leash and lets her lead him around without his walker.
“I’ve never seen him walk!” says Colleen.
Finally they say goodbye. As Anna-Belle gets into the elevator, Reuben gives one last wave.
It’s hard to define what a therapy dog provides, but there’s no doubt that Reuben’s day was better thanks to Anna-Belle. Of course, she gets something out of it too.
“I have no doubt she loves it. She would be pet all day,” says Dell.
~ Via The Star Phoenix
Tags: dog comforts patients, dog therapy, Therapy dog
