About Canadian Therapy Dogs Support Services
“Am I allowed to pat your dog?”
This is often the first question people have when they meet a therapy dog team.
Our answer is always a wholehearted “yes!"
What is the difference between a therapy dog and a service dog?
Service dogs have been carefully trained to perform tasks for a single individual (think seeing eye dogs) and they only work with that individual. Well-trained service dogs should ignore all other people and dogs when performing their jobs and should not be touched by others. Service dogs also have legal access to anywhere their handlers need to go.
Therapy dogs are well-behaved dogs who love people and whose job it is to interact with everyone around them. Therapy dogs can only go any place regular dogs can - unless of course they are invited!
In recent years the benefits of interacting with a therapy dog have become more widely known and we are being invited into more and more places. Science is now showing us what dog owners have always known. Patting a dog makes you feel better! Talking with a totally non-judgemental dog, who is very good at listening, is extremely therapeutic. When humans pat a dog, blood pressure goes down, heartrate slows and the feel-good hormones are released into the blood stream. In fact, these changes are seen in both the person and the dog.
Canadian Therapy Dogs Support Services
Our teams can be found in a variety of settings. We might be providing love and comfort to seniors in residences and long term care facilities. We might be found in schools at exam and vaccination days to destress students of all ages. We visit in libraries mingling with the public and we are very popular in business settings during mental health awareness events.
Our teams are often called to help in the Ottawa Courthouse. Some visit with courthouse staff to provide love and smiles. Some attend specialty courts like Mental Health Court, Drug Treatment Court and Youth Mental Health Court. Teams meet with the participants outside the courtroom and then attend the court sessions. In the courtroom the dogs may respectfully mingle with the participants, providing a soft head to pat and comfort where needed.
Some of our very special dogs assist with persons who have to testify in court. Many of these persons are vulnerable individuals and/or children. These special dogs stay with that person each time they are in the courthouse, from pretrial preparations through to their testimony.
“Having a dog by our side was a great comfort and reassurance, and helped us get through the stressful court proceedings.” That is how one family expressed the value of the therapy team to them in a recent court situation.
Meet Our Pack!
KaBoom
Breed:
Greyhound
Loves:
Everybody!
Provides Therapy At:
Ottawa Courthouse (Trials)
Public Libraries
Danigirl
Breed:
Bichon Frisé
Favourite Toy:
A mouse
Provides Therapy At:
Ottawa Courthouse (Trials)
Universities
Public Schools
Ottawa Public Libraries
Alys
Breed:
Golden Retriever
Favourite Toy:
Her mama and snow!
Provides Therapy At:
Ottawa Courthouse (YMHC)
uOttawa - Faculté de médecine
Seniors Residences
Crush
Breed:
Golden Retriever
Favourite Toy:
His brother Gambit
Provides Therapy At:
Ottawa Courthouse (DTC)
Universities
Public Libraries
Ashbury College
NGOs
Whisky
Breed:
Wirehaired Dachshund
Favourite Toy:
Coming soon!
Provides Therapy At:
Ottawa Courthouse
Henry
Breed:
Labradoodle
Favourite Toy:
His new sister Mabel!
Provides Therapy At:
Ottawa Courthouse
Frida
Breed:
Golden Retriever
Favourite Toy:
A soft chew ball
Provides Therapy At:
Ottawa Courthouse
Charlie
Breed:
Whippet
Favourite Game:
Playing with his little brother Bobby Fischer
Provides Therapy At:
Ottawa Courthouse
Clara
Breed:
Golden Retriever
Favourite Toy:
A big green dragon
Provides Therapy At:
Ottawa Courthouse
Louis
Breed:
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Favourite Toy:
Coming soon!
Provides Therapy At:
Retirement Residences
University of Ottawa
Ashbury College
Gambit
Breed:
Golden Retriever
Favourite Toy:
Ball! Throw the ball!
Provides Therapy At:
Ottawa Courthouse (DTC)
Universities
Public Libraries
Ashbury College
NGOs
Woody
Breed:
Gordon Setter
Favourite Toy:
Coming soon!
Provides Therapy At:
Ottawa Courthouse (Trials)
John Howard Society Residences
Universities
High Schools
Kara
Breed:
Golden Retriever
Favourite Toy:
A ball
Provides Therapy At:
Ottawa Courthouse
Ripley
Breed:
Swiss Shepherd
Favourite Toy:
Frisbee
Provides Therapy At:
Ottawa Public Library
University of Ottawa
Sam
Breed:
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Favourite Toy:
His flying squirrel
Provides Therapy At:
Ottawa Public Library
University of Ottawa
Fergus
Breed:
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Favourite Toy:
Bubbles
Provides Therapy At:
Ottawa Public Library
University of Ottawa
Bernie
Breed:
Golden Retriever
Favourite Toy:
Teeny, tiny stuffie
Provides Therapy At:
Ottawa Courthouse (YMHC)
uOttawa - Faculty of Medicine
Saint Paul University
Pralinée
Breed:
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Favourite Treat:
Coming soon!
Provides Therapy At:
École secondaire Gisèle Lalonde
Saint Paul University
uOttawa - Faculty of Medicine
Our Next Dog!
Breed:
Any
Loves:
Providing support to others
Provides Therapy At:
A perfect match for you