PATDogs Pet Therapy: An interview about the Impact of Pet Interactions with Acting Vice Chair, Wendy Petersen

PATDogs is a Manitoba-based nonprofit organization providing certified therapy dog teams to support older adults, caregivers, first responders, and community members across Westman. Their mission is enriching lives through the power of human-canine connections, with their teams offering comfort, joy and emotional support through structured pet interactions. In addition to their regular therapy dog teams, PATDogs also operates TREAT (Trauma Response & Emotional Assistance Team), a specialized group trained to support communities and emergency personnel during high-stress or traumatic events. PATDogs teams visit hospitals, personal care homes, palliative units, dialysis units, community events, and high-stress workplaces such as 911 dispatch centers.

Targeting Isolation in Manitoba (TIMA) spoke with PATDogs Acting Vice Chair and therapy dog handler, Wendy Petersen, about the organization, their therapy dog teams, the TREAT program, as well as the impact the pet-interaction programs have on older adults. Wendy's therapy dog, Chunky Monkey, a golden retriever mix, was present during the interview.

Visit the PATDogs website here to learn more or request a visit: www.patdogs.ca

[This interview has been edited for length and clarity.]

"Hugging this dog today is not just the highlight of my day; it brings back memories of a lifetime of love." - Care Home Resident during a PATDogs visit

"And even though [Chunky's] exhausted, I think it brings him a lot of joy. As soon as he puts his working collar on, he knows it's time to go to work. He puts his bandana on, and he knows that his job is to bring somebody a smile." - Wendy Petersen, PATDogs

Targeting Isolation in Manitoba (TIMA): Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and your role with PATDogs?

Wendy, PATDogs: I'm currently the acting Vice Chair of the Board. I became involved with PATDogs [once I became] fully certified with Alliance Therapy Dogs.

I've worked in the nonprofit sector for over 30 years now, starting at a senior center, and I have such great respect and love for working with older adults. Visiting with older adults is probably the part that [my Therapy Dog] Chunky Monkey and I enjoy the most. Some teams are really good with kids but there's something about him and older adults that just clicks.

Chunky and I visit palliative units and also units where people are waiting placement to care homes, dialysis, and sometimes surgery units. We are also regular visitors with the 911 dispatchers at the fire hall because that's a really high-stress job. We do community events as well, but [Chunky and I's] main focus has been with visiting older adults.

TIMA: Can you give us a quick overview of the Therapy Dog Programs, and the vision and mission of PATDogs?

Wendy, PATDogs: The aim is to strengthen the canine-human connection. To spread some joy, some peace, some comfort. We have about 50 therapy dog teams all over Southwestern Manitoba. Our teams include canines and their handlers, everything from Chihuahuas to Great Danes. We have quite a few Golden Retrievers because, in general, they're very compassionate dogs and very much people-pleasers, so they're good at being therapy dogs. But we have small-breed teams as well that are just exceptional because they are able to get closer to people.

Our mission is to fold in education - how to approach a dog, how to slow down. Many times, people won't remember the handler's name, but they always remember the dogs. I walk into a room, and someone will say, "Oh, Chunky Monkey's here!" - and they remember him.

Sometimes [older adults with dementia] can't remember what they did 5 minutes ago, but they'll always remember the dog. And that just shows the kind of impact we have. The dog will trigger a memory - a really warm, great memory from their childhood. Maybe they had pets of their own. I hear all the time, "Oh I used to have a dog like this, his name was..." And it's really amazing to see them connect, with their memories, with their stories.

TIMA: Can you share a bit about the animals in your program and the preparation and support they and their handlers receive before visiting older adults?

Wendy, PATDogs: To be certified through Alliance Therapy Dogs you need to provide a criminal record check and be vetted with a reference letter. Chunky Monkey had to go for an evaluation: sitting quietly, being able to walk down a hall if someone runs by you, having the dog not react. There is a two-foot rule between therapy dogs and between the public, and Chunky had no issues. He's a pretty chill dog. And the veterinarians are really supportive. They have to sign off whether the dog would be a good therapy dog. [The dogs need] a clean bill of health and be vet checked and vet approved.

Once we have our certification and our evaluation, we mentor with another PATDogs member for a couple visits. That's valuable because you learn about boundaries and working as a team with other dogs and keeping distance. To volunteer within a Prairie Mountain Health setting (like in hospitals) there a separate procedure. The dogs get a volunteer tag, and we have access to certain parts of the hospital. Most of our members are [certified] for community and Prairie Mountain Health.

Chunky Monkey and I are working towards being TREAT trained (Trauma Response & Emotional Assistance Team), which involves us being a therapy dog team for a year. TREAT dogs are trained to bring a certain calmness to stressful situations where sometimes you need that trauma outlet - just having a dog that will come and snuggle with you or sit with you. [The dog] feels the comfort, you feel the comfort, and so it brings your stress levels down. It grounds you because being with the animals involves unconditional love and unconditional respect.

TIMA: From your perspective, what needs are you seeing among older adults that pet-interaction programs help address - especially around connection, comfort, or reducing isolation?

Wendy, PATDogs: I remember my first therapy team visit at the hospital. My family friend was put into hospital waiting placement for a care home. And it all just kind of fell into place when Chunky Monkey and I started to visit her. As soon as Chunky and I walk in she just falls in love all over again. It's like watching somebody coming out of their shell every time.

When we walk in [to a care home], older adults are all 'over the moon'! We go there for the residents and the patients, but it's amazing how much staff need that interaction as well. It's the whole community. The residents need the joy and comfort, but you've got staff who need that little bit of joy and comfort as well.

It brings a certain comfort to [the residents'] family as well, to see their mom or family member smiling and happy. They see the dog, and they turn into a little kid. It's those little moments of impact. Sometimes it takes an interaction with a dog to just change someone's day; turning it into something more manageable. People can take a breath and feel decompressed.

Chunky Monkey also picks up on people's emotions. Fear, upset, sadness... we can bring those emotions to a more manageable, reasonable level. When we come home from visiting, Chunky is exhausted! He's felt all those things just like a person.

TIMA: For older adults who many be new to this type of program, what does a typical visit look like? How do you tailor visits for different comfort levels or mobility needs?

Wendy, PATDogs: We have the two-foot rule so as not to crowd people and the therapy dogs are not allowed to jump. We are a little more cautious around a new person. We'll approach at their comfort level. Some people don't like dogs and that's OK. Maybe they're just not feeling it that day.

Typical visits are sometimes 5 minutes, sometimes they're 20 minutes, it really depends. Lots of times people just want to have a talk with me, and Chunky Monkey will do exactly what he's doing now. He'll just lay down and have a nap, or lean on you to provide comfort.

We [usually] just walk around and visit with people, and talk to different people, and you'd just never know what somebody is going through.

A lot of our members have a really good sense of reading a room and understanding people's needs. You've got to have a lot of compassion and be very quick thinking because things can change in a second. You have to watch people's faces, you know, you can see it. And one of the things they teach us is on dog behavior, picking up on when your dog has had enough because you're the one advocating for your dog.

[During the visit] the dogs can do tricks, like how to sneeze on command, and Chunky Monkey will give a high-five. So sometimes we entertain people, but a lot of it is giving people a moment to decompress and pet the dog and ask questions and tell stories.

"I think sometimes that's what the dog does. It opens a door for somebody to talk about their experiences, whether they're good or bad or happy or sad." - Wendy, PATDogs

"All these clinics, all of these personal care homes, all these cancer care units, we need that extra little bit of comfort. And if that can come in four legs, then why would you not take it?" - Older Adult waiting for hospital care, as recounted by Wendy, PATDogs

TIMA: What are some benefits you have observed in older adults who participate? Are there any stories or themes that stand out? Wendy, PATDogs: Just recently, a care home resident said to me: “Hugging this dog today is not just the highlight of my day; it brings back memories of a lifetime of love.”

The last time I was at the hospital lab, I was walking around and there was an older man waiting to go into see the nurse. He said "Oh I love your dog." I said "Did you want to pet him?" He said yes, so I sat down... [Turned out] he had stage 4 cancer. I had never been so inspired by somebody in my life - there was this man acting like he had the world by the tail. We sat there for about 25 mins, talking about things and people we knew, and he was connecting with Chunky Monkey like crazy. Chunky was sitting between his legs and the man was petting him and petting him and he said, "This is such a great thing. This is the way that all these clinics should be."

He said "All these clinics, all of these personal care homes, all these cancer care units, we need that extra little bit of comfort. And if that can come in four legs, then why would you not take it?" He says, "I've gotten a lot of care over my years, but having a dog come and give you the type of care that somebody with two feet can't... that's unconditional love." This man had just incredible strength, incredible resilience, and to sit there and talk about experiences with a total stranger... I think sometimes that's what the dog does. It opens a door for somebody to talk about their experiences, whether they're good or bad or happy or sad.

I mean, Chunky and I don't have the answers. We're only a guidepost along the way, and we're not going to provide you with some big, fancy, full of philosophy answer. We're only going to give you what he can give you as a dog, and what I can give you as his handler. And that is unconditional listening, providing that moment of "ahhh". Where you can step back from everything that's happening and distract yourself for even a few moments. That's all it takes.

You go into these places, there is sadness. There is people suffering because they just don't understand what's happening. What can i do? Turn it into something else, just for a few moments. And hopefully my legacy is that I can walk in there with Chunky Monkey and just give somebody a few moments of comfort and joy and laughter in a day that maybe hasn't been the best day. Or where everyday is the same, because you can't remember - and something comes along and just switches that switch and you realize "Oh, I've done something exciting today" or "I had an exciting experience, I can't wait for my family to come and visit. I can tell them that the therapy dogs were by..."

It's like this adrenaline, euphoric high, because you've just impacted 30, 40 people. You know [the interaction] just changed their mood for just even a split second. That unbiased, unconditional love for a few minutes, just to take your mind off everything else. And even though [Chunky's] exhausted, I think it brings him a lot of joy. As soon as he puts his working collar on, he knows it's time to go to work. He puts his bandana on, and he knows that his job is to bring somebody a smile.

For more information about PATDogs or to inquire about therapy dog visits:

PATDogs 

Website: www.patdogs.ca

Email: info@patdogs.ca

Phone: 204-908-3647 (DOGS)

Instagram: @westmanpatdogs

https://www.instagram.com/westmanpatdogs/

Interview by: Karyna Villafana

Edited by: Karyna Villafana

Photo Credits: PATDogs and Karyna Villafana