COCHRANE— Imagine a scenario where someone with an interest in working with animals is afforded an opportunity to train them, a rescue dog finds a home, and someone in need gains a companion.
This past June, Tracy Keith, executive director and department head of behaviour at the Cochrane and Area Humane Society, was pleased to pair their first rescue dog, Scully (formerly Everly), trained by a student through the year-long PACE program, with Yvonne, an adopter through The LifeLine Canada Foundation’s Companion Paw’s program.
LifeLine Canada is a non-profit that commits itself to positive mental health and suicide prevention across the country and worldwide, their Companion Paws Program pairs rescue dogs trained for therapy with individuals in need.
“It’s really a win-win,” Keith said. “The PACE students can take some of these dogs that I’ve temperament tested, and accepted into the program, and have the opportunity to train them.
“We believe 100 per cent in the value of dogs, being companions to people, being able to help relieve their stress and to help with their mental health.”
The PACE program runs annually and is led by Keith at the Cochrane and Area Humane Society, where she mentors students to provide hands-on behavioral and handling training to select rescue dogs, and with students’ dogs. It is designed for anyone who works with or has a desire to work with animals and lends itself to everything from dog walking to veterinary work.
Shortly after the launch of LifeLine’s Companion Paws Program in 2015, Keith signed on as an adjudicator for Calgary, Cochrane and surrounding areas, performing temperament tests, evaluations and certifying dogs for the program.
That is how she discovered Scully, who came in as a stray, already exhibiting some of the temperaments of a good therapy dog.
Some of the criteria they look for includes how calm the animal is, its level of friendliness and patience, or at least its ability to be trained in these areas.
Although Keith has been with the organization for several years, it was not until recently that the two programs actually began a collaboration, explained Liane Weber, chief executive officer of The LifeLine Canada Foundation.
“The Companion Paws adoption program currently offers adopters temperament tested dogs that have been approved as suitable but are not obedience trained,” Weber said. “Once the adopter and their dog are matched and the placement is made, the adopter and dog begin obedience training.
“The Cochrane Humane Society has given us the ability to offer an additional program of trained dogs to Companion Paws for our clients, for the very first time.”
Weber wishes that the Cochrane Humane Society could expand the program in every province, adding that they are always so impressed when they work with them.
The pilot project with Scully began in late 2020. Now that Scully has graduated from PACE, Yvonne picks up the dog’s training at home.
“Scully and her adopter Yvonne are doing wonderfully,” Weber noted. “They have completed their first eight weeks of training and continue to train in preparation for their certification testing coming up in the fall, where Scully will then be certified as a Companion Paws Personal Therapy Dog.
“The benefits of a personal therapy dog for depression and anxiety, impact physiological, emotional and psychological well-being,” Weber said. “Therapy dogs can help with depression by offering reassurance and companionship to people experiencing low mood or clinical depression.”
They can noticeably improve some of the physical and emotional indicators of depression by reducing high states of anxiety, alleviating loneliness, helping to build or buffer social interactions, providing a sense of self-efficacy and even normalizing heart rate and blood pressure.
Emotional support dogs have been found to benefit people of all genders, ages and life situations. Being involved with the training of one’s dog adds another layer to mental well-being and is therapy in itself, Weber added.
“It allows the building of a very strong bond as well as having a feeling of purpose and accomplishment watching the progress from one’s efforts and the positive changes it brings,” she said. “It is a big responsibility to care for a dog. Consistency is key.”
With the success of the pilot project, the Humane Society currently has another PACE pup in training for Companion Paws. Marty has been learning with animal-lover Cameron Northwood for the past several weeks.
Students of PACE often foster dogs at home while training them, so Northwood and his family are all involved with teaching the pup, who is learning quickly.
And in about a year’s time, Marty should be united with his new human companion.
