St. John volunteer
Therapy dog dressed to code
In what would appear to be an abundance of caution, Halton District School Board is not allowing St. John Ambulance therapy dogs into its schools until it has developed a policy.
Child-tested therapy dogs are handled by volunteer owners who must pass strict conditions before taking dogs on visits. The dogs visit developmentally and mentally challenged adults and children, as well as the sick, elderly and lonely. They can add support to teaching staff as "reading buddies" and therapy companions for those with mental health issues.
Other therapy dogs visit hospitals such as OTMH to offer a "Pause with Paws "quick break and stress relief for staff, visiting ER, ICU units and patients on request. Long-term care and retirement homes request visits as well on weekly schedules. Festivals and corporate sponsors also request visits for events and mental health breaks.
Their positive impact is well-documented.
The visiting rules developed by St. John Ambulance are very detailed and strictly enforced by the organization. Handlers as well as dogs must adhere to a dress code: "Visiting dogs must be clean and well-groomed, including clipped and filed nails," reads only one of 25 guidelines.
Here is an excerpt from Rule #3: "Handlers and dogs must be clearly identified as St. John Ambulance volunteers. The appropriate uniform for the handler consists of black pants/skirt/walking shorts, black closed-toed shoes or black runners (no sandals or Crocs) and a Therapy Dog shirt. Handler's uniforms should be clean and neat. The dog must be wearing the Therapy Dog tag..."
Once bitten, twice shy, perhaps, when it comes to policies or the lack thereof and enforcement or the lack thereof when it comes to who can be on HDSB property. Eyebrows are raised among the volunteer dog handler community. "It's a bit rich, given recent events at one Oakville school," said one volunteer, who asked to remain anonymous.
Reading the 25 Therapy Dog Visiting Rules might prompt some to think that the vetting process shoe is on the wrong foot.
We reached out to the Halton District School Board and received this response:
"The HDSB is collaborating with community partners and our schools to bring awareness and alignment of practices to our Student Use of Guide Dogs, Service Dogs and Service Animals Administrative Procedure.
Through this, we hope to continue to support the use of therapy dogs in schools. We are meeting with community partners, including St. John Ambulance, to ensure this procedure is being applied in schools to help facilitate the safe and responsible use of therapy dogs for students."
