Theraputic Paws of Canada seeks volunteers

The simple act of petting a dog or cat is enough to lower blood pressure, reduce stress and eliminate feelings of depression, loneliness and isolation.

Therapeutic Paws of Canada (TPOC) is well aware of the positive impact dogs and cats can have on people, especially senior citizens living in nursing or retirements residences.

According to founder Judy Sauvé, who started the program in 2002, TPOC is a volunteer- based dog and cat visitation/therapy program for senior citizens living in facilities such as retirement homes, nursing homes, Alzheimer day-away centers and/or hospitals.

She explained that volunteers and their pets donate approximately one hour of their time per week to visit with seniors and share with them the joy of being around an animal.

"The medical establishment has long recognized the significant benefits of a therapy dog and cat program," she told The Review. "Animals, especially dogs and cats, help fill a need and offer amazing emotional and physical rehabilitation for seniors. In many cases, seniors may have had animals but had to give them up once they entered a nursing or retirement home. This program helps reconnect them with the animals."

Sauvé herself said she understands the benefits animals can have on people who are ill or feeling isolated and/or depressed.

"I understand both sides of the bed," she commented. "I was diagnosed with breast cancer eight years ago and I know how good it felt to have my dogs close to me. I get it, I really get it, and I know how vital this program is to people."

In addition to visiting seniors, Sauvé said, TPOC also has a program called Paws to Read, which aims to help "reluctant readers" improve their reading skills through interaction with animals.

"We work very closely with schools and special education teachers," she explained. "They identify children who could benefit from this type of program, usually kids who are shy about reading out loud and need to build their confidence up a bit."

She said the handlers and the dogs go into the classroom and the children sit quietly with the handler and the animal. Often, she noted, the children are so excited about the dog that they will take extra time picking a book they think they dog would like and will start reading out loud, explaining the book to the animal.

"It really helps build their confidence," Sauvé stated. "The dog is totally non-judgmental...he won't snicker at the child if he/she makes a mistake. The child's confidence level can increase very quickly through this interaction and it's so wonderful to see."

When asked how dogs and cats are chosen to participate in the program, Sauvé explained that all potential volunteers and their animals are put through a rigorous evaluation.

"We take this very seriously and we have to make sure our volunteers and their animals are capable of handling the therapeutic role they will be playing," she noted. "Some people will say they have a dog that just loves people and is very good-tempered and social, but that dog might not be able to handle the responsibility of providing therapy to people. In some cases, the animal gets very stressed out and if that happens, the animal can become ill very quickly or snap. We don't want to stress the animal out and we don't want to put the seniors and children taking part in the therapy to be at risk."

Sauvé said dogs and cats must display a temperament that shows confidence, good manners and sociability with other dogs, cats and people. She said the evaluation is a well-developed tool that involves taking the animal on visits and ensuring the animal is comfortable.

"The animal has to prove that it can handle all categories of the evaluation," Sauvé said. "If the animal can't handle it, that's okay. It doesn't mean the animal isn't a good dog or cat. It just means he's not cut out for this type of program."

Additionally, she said, volunteers are required to submit to a criminal record check and present three references that will be verified by TPOC.

Sauvé said TPOC is in desperate need of volunteers. She said currently, there are approximately 500 volunteers across Canada. She said ideally, every community that has a nursing home or retirement residence would have at least a few volunteers offering therapy at least once a week.

"Obviously, that's my dream," she commented. "We are filling a need and we are making a difference in people's lives. This is a very meaningful program and we want people to get involved. All they have to do is contact me and we'll go from there."

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please call Sauvé at 613-632-6502 and register for an evaluation. Sauvé stressed that potential volunteers must register for an evaluation.