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Kit the seven-year-old Finnish Lapphund, is a therapy dog who visits a rehab ward at the local hospital with her owner Tracey Wansbrough, bringing a smile to patients going through a difficult time.
“I retired about three years ago and decided I wanted to do some volunteer work within the community and because I do so much with my dogs, I decided to try and incorporate them into it.”
“Therapy dog work seemed to be the perfect fit and it has worked out that way, the dogs and I both really enjoy and love it.” said Tracey.
Once a fortnight, as a therapy dog, Kit visits the rehab ward at the local hospital where elderly patients are recovering before being discharged to return to their homes.
After getting permission from staff and patients, Kit and Tracey enter the room to help bring some joy to their hospital stay.
“Once they've said they'd like to see Kit sometimes, she sits on their bed with them if they're happy, and they just pet her while we have a chat.”
“Most of the time I speak with patients, it revolves around dogs, and Kit is always happy to do a trick or two, which is always a great conversation point.”
“I always have treats with me so it’s a very positive experience for her which is important.” said Tracey.
“I drop her a treat every now and then which helps make me be her main focus.”
“If somebody wants to have an interaction with her, then I'll guide her using hand gestures like pointing to the person, and Kit will walk up to them.”
“Kit loves to meet the staff as well and when she recognises them, she is always happy to say hello.”
With people she hasn’t met before, Kit waits for Tracey to speak with the person beforehand and then greets them.
Kit also visits the nursing home where Tracey’s mother resides.
“All the residents love to see her and one time one of the residents took Kit for a little stroll with Kit on the walker seat!”
While Kit’s main role is to visit the hospital, various organisations also conduct one-off visits where Tracey volunteers. Kit and Tracey have even visited Universities during examination time, where Kit acts as a stress reliever for the students.
Various therapy dog organisations do intakes a few times a year for people who are interested. People can then attend various venues for an assessment day. At the assessment day, practice scenarios like crowds, people talking loudly, and people wanting to meet your dog may be set up. There are also mobility aids in use to see how the dogs will respond.
Dogs will need to have a vet check, have up-to-date vaccinations, and be wormed. Owners may also need to be vaccinated, similar to people who work in hospitals. There is also some obedience involved, like sit, drop, and standing and walking calmly on a lead. Other must-dos are always having therapy dogs on a lead, and carrying a water bowl.
“Once you’ve passed all that then you attend a training day without your dog and that's where you get to know all the ins and outs of what you do and can't do as far as visiting a facility goes.”
“Once the initial assessment is complete and owners have attended the training day organisations will have a list of facilities that are looking for a dog and they'll try and match you up to one that suits you best as a team.” said Tracey.
“Before the first visit you may be required to go with your therapy dog with an existing therapy dog and handler who will then report back to the organisation on whether they thought your dog coped okay or not.”
Any dog with the right temperament and training can become a therapy dog. Banned dog breeds in Australia and dogs deemed dangerous cannot become therapy dogs.
Kit’s role as a therapy dog can have a great impact on the people that she visits, helping them get through a difficult time period in their lives. As patients may feel lonely in hospital having a therapy dog visit them is a nice change especially if they are dog lovers and cannot see their own dogs at the time.
“Often when Kit and I arrive, the staff ask if we could visit specific patients who are dog lovers or very keen on meeting Kit.”
Tracey recalls one of her memorable visits with Kit, who had a lasting impact on one of the patients.
“I was chatting to a patient while Kit lay on his bed, and he was just patting her and we talked about everything, his dogs, his life in general, and it was a really good visit.”
“When I left the room, one of the nurses told me that the patient had been non-verbal and unresponsive for a few days, so the impact that Kit had made on visiting him was immeasurable to them.”
“We also get a positive response when we walk into the nursing home, all the residents’ faces light up, and some of them come rushing forward with excitement.” Tracey said.
A medium sized breed originally bred to herd reindeer in Finland, Finnish Lapphunds were traditionally expected to live in close proximity with the semi-nomadic people in Finland. A friendly temperament means they have the ability to interact with people of all ages and as herding dogs they like to be with their pack and people. They are now a popular pet across the Scandinavian countries and around the world.
“Finnish Lapphunds have a teddy bear-like appearance, which makes them very attractive, and people just want to interact with them,” said Tracey.
“Kit has all these characteristics which make her ideal as a therapy dog.”
“She is very easy to train and food motivated, which is ideal because I can easily distract her in any situation if required.”
“She's happy to get all the attention that she can get, pats and belly rubs from the people that she visits and is very polite waiting to have the interaction offered to her.”
Kit also competes at the highest level in Dogs Australia Agility, Tricks, and Dances with Dogs, and loves to perform tricks at hospital visits, helping entertain and put a smile on the patients' faces.
Tracey believes the Finnish Lapphund are an ideal breed for therapy dog work and that a purebred dog has its advantages due to their predictable traits and characteristics.
“Knowing a dog’s breed traits does make it easier to make a decision on what type of therapy dog facility they might suit better, for example, a hospital or school.”
Additional benefits of a purebred dog are parental health testing, striving to produce puppies with good health and temperaments, and breeders selecting puppies who have the potential to be a good therapy dog.
Tracey would like to see more people get involved in therapy dog work, as there are often more facilities wanting therapy dog visits than the number of therapy dogs available.
“It’s really rewarding for all parties involved, and anyone who wants to get involved, I think will get a lot out of it.”
“There are many people out there who could really benefit having a visit from a therapy dog.”
Dogs Australia is a not-for-profit organisation advocating for the preservation of purebred dogs through ethical breeding.
It champions the highest standard of animal welfare through education and fostering dog-loving communities.
Internationally recognised and established in 1958 as the Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC),
the organisation promotes responsible dog ownership; maintains the ORCHID* heritable canine diseases database;
funds research into canine diseases; and supports state and territory-based member bodies.
Dogs Australia promotes breed conformation shows and community sports for dogs that fulfil a breed’s natural instincts.
