Meet Sofie, our Certified Facility Service Dog
Sofie is at the clinic on most days if she is not visiting schools, Long Term Care Centres or other workplaces as part of our Wellness Programs. She’ll be happy to sit with you, open the door when you arrive, shake a paw and give you a kiss or two!
Sofie is a pure bred Labrador Retriever Dog. Sofie is a happy, playful pup who will surely melt your heart with her sweet face and disposition. Sofie can assist with your rehabilitation and provide comfort when you are anxious or depressed. Sofie has achieved her Canine Good Neighbour Certificate as well as Levels 1, 2 and 3 in Obedience Training, Rally Obedience training and Scent Training. She is continuing in advanced skills as a Certified Facility Service Dog and is participating in obedience trials. In fact she has earned her first leg in Rally Obedience Novice.
Sofie has most recently achieved her Certification as a Service Dog with full public access though Canine Support Services (CCS.) CSS adheres to National Standards and certifies that the dog meets the highest standards in the industry to ensure the safety of all dogs and their handlers while working in public spaces.
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In Memory
“Chloe” our beloved Therapy Dog who dedicated her life to providing comfort to those in need. (May 26, 2008 – September 21, 2018)
Chloe went through advanced levels of obedience training and earned two titles including Canine Good Neighbour from the CKC and Therapy Dog from Therapeutic Paws of Canada. She will be missed by family, friends and patients.
The Benefits of Animal Assisted Therapy (Facility Service Therapy Dog)
According to a recent research study published in the Western Journal of Nursing, facility service dogs have been shown to elicit positive social responses when other approaches often fail, and mediate interactions in awkward and uncomfortable therapeutic settings. In addition facility service dogs have demonstrated to
- provide multiple impacts, aiding in physical, social, and emotional healing
- enhance motivation and aid in the healing process for patients by improving mental health and overall well-being
- assist with functional outcome goals
- assist with social interactions and language (i.e., stroke patients)
- reduce stress levels among staff and others
1. Dawn A. Marcus, MD, Cheryl D. Bernstein, MD, Janet M. Constantin, RN Frank A. Kunkel, MD, Paula Breuer, BS, and Raymond B. Hanlon, MS (2013). Impact of Animal-Assisted Therapy for Outpatients with Fibromyalgia. Pain Med. Jan 2013; 14(1), 43–51.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3666031/
Key Finding(s): “Brief therapy dog visits may provide a valuable complementary therapy for fibromyalgia outpatients. Significant improvements were reported for pain, mood, and other measures of distress among patients after the therapy dog visit but not the waiting room control. Clinically meaningful pain relief (=2 points pain severity reduction) occurred in 34% after the therapy dog visit and 4% in the waiting room control. Outcome was not affected by the presence of comorbid anxiety or depression.”
2. Amanda Bulette Coakley, RN, PhD and Ellen K. Mahoney, RN, DNS. (2009). Creating a Therapeutic and Healing Environment with a Pet Therapy program. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, Volume 15, Issue 3, Pages 141-146.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2798799/
Key Finding(s): “Pet therapy is a low-tech, low-cost therapy that improved mood and was meaningful to hospitalized patients. Compared with baseline, patients had significant decreases in pain, respiratory rate and negative mood state and a significant increase in perceived energy level. Quantitative and qualitative findings provide support for decreased tension/anxiety and fatigue/inertia and improved overall mood.”
3. Michele L. Morrison, MS, RN, ANP, HNP, CHHC (2007). Health Benefits of Animal- Assisted Interventions. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine January 2007, vol. 12, no. 1, 51-62.
http://chp.sagepub.com/content/12/1/51.abstract
Key Finding(s): “The use of animals in the promotion or improvement of health is long-standing, yet this complementary healing modality is not widely integrated into mainstream health care. Assisted interventions (AAIs) result in statistically significant health benefits with improvements in blood pressure, heart rate, and salivary immunoglobulin A levels and in depression, anxiety, perceived quality of health, and loneliness.”
4. Nancy E. Richeson, PhD, CTRS (2003). Effects of animal-assisted therapy on agitated behaviors and social interactions of older adults with dementia. AM J ALZHEIMERS DIS OTHER DEMEN November/December 2003, vol. 18 no.6, 353-358.
http://aja.sagepub.com/content/18/6/353.abstract
Key Finding(s): “The effects of a therapeutic recreation intervention using animal-assisted therapy (AAT) on the agitated behaviors and social interactions of older adults with dementia were examined using the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory and the Animal-Assisted Therapy Flow Sheet. In a pilot study, 15 nursing home residents with dementia participated in a daily AAT intervention for three weeks. Results showed statistically significant decreases in agitated behaviors and a statistically significant increase in social interaction pretest to post-test.”
