Visiting team makes a big impact

BY NANCY KELLY

The Kings County Register

Aylesford resident Gloria Armstrong and her two Newfoundland dogs, Gracie and Brogan, were recently named the 2007 Therapy Dog Handler Team of the Year by the Nova Scotia/ P.E.I. District of St. John Ambulance.

At the organization’s “Celebration of Community” dinner November 2 in Halifax, Armstrong accepted the award, which recognizes her team’s volunteer work and dedication as ambassadors for the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program from the Honourable Mayann Francis, Nova Scotia’s lieutenant governor. “It was very exciting to be recognized for doing something that I - and the dogs - really enjoy doing,” said Armstrong from her Berwick school classroom.

She calls her four- and five-year-old Newfoundland dogs “gentle giants” for their considerable size, patient and caring temperments. The pair’s training and extensive testing for suitably for the program began in December 2005 after Armstrong attended a pet day fair hosted by Scotian Gold. While there, the dogs were Canine Good Citizen-tested, and their natural ability drew the eye of a St. John Ambulance volunteer. “I didn’t know much about the program, but it sounded interesting, so we decided to try it,” said Armstrong. The dogs now hold their St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog certificates and, since December 2005, have logged a total of 220 volunteer hours in 65 visits to Grand View Manor and six to the Kings County Regional Rehabilitation Centre.

Armstrong said it is obvious Gracie and Brogan enjoy their trips to the manor, adding they are “tremendously well-suited” to greeting residents in the lobby and in their rooms. “They will climb up on a chair to reach residents confined to bed, visit the gardens and the activity room as well.”

Armstrong has noticed, while Brogan has the ability to seek out someone who is not well and Gracie has a very patient disposition, both dogs possess a comforting nature appreciated by the residents and their families. She adds one resident, who seemed particularly resistant to having the dogs visit, now calls them “her loves.”

Brogan came to Armstrong at 12 weeks and Gracie arrived after being re-homed from Chicago at 16 months. Now full grown, they each weigh about 125 pounds and stand 30 inches at the shoulder. They are both Black Newfoundlands with Irish-spotted markings, and care of their double-layer coat demands hours of brushing on a weekly basis and baths every couple of weeks. They shed copiously and Armstrong joked, at her house, dog hair is considered a garnish.

The breed is famous for its intelligence, rescue-sense and ability to tolerate the worst outdoor conditions. Armstrong,, who has Newfoundland family connections, says they also make excellent pets. Caring for Gracie and Brogan is now her hobby - one that fulfils a life-long dream. She remembers seeing one of the dogs while visiting Newfoundland as a youngster. “Right then and there, I said I would have one some day - and now I have a matching pair.”

As an ambassador for the St. John Ambulance program, Armstrong has become a strong advocate for the work of therapy dog teams. She invites individuals and service clubs interested in learning more about the practice to contact her at gloria.armstrong@ns.sympatico.ca for information.