October 4, 2001

Therapy dogs help young offenders

By Sandra MacGregor
smacgre3@uwo.ca

I t's Friday afternoon and a new guest has just arrived at the Bluewater Centre For Young Offenders. This guest, however, is only here for the day and the only crime she ever committed was trying to sneak a biscuit before dinner.

Molly, and her owner Phil Riley, are volunteers for the St John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program and every Friday they come to spend a few hours with a resident at Bluewater.

Bluewater, in Goderich, Ontario is a high security correctional centre for young offenders. David Dykxhoorn, volunteer co-ordinator for Bluewater, oversees the Therapy Dog Volunteers and couldn't be more pleased with the program. "It has been so successful... it's a win-win situation for everybody. I see genuine happiness during the visits," he said.

The centre has been involved with therapy dog volunteers for just over a year. Bernice Shackleton, the area co-ordinator for the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program, worked with Dykxhoorn to institute the program at Bluewater. Not only did Shackleton help develop the program but she is also a Therapy Dog Volunteer at Bluewater. And for Shackleton volunteering at Bluewater is a family affair. Though she does not have her own dog she borrows her son's bullmastiff, Marla, for her visits to Bluewater and her husband takes his shitzu, Mini, to visit residents.

Like Dykxhoorn, Shackleton praises the program's success and is proud of the positive effect visits have on residents. Though the therapy dogs visit other locations such as senior citizens' homes and hospitals there appears to be a special demand for the volunteers at Bluewater. "There is such a huge need. Sometimes residents don't get any other visits but they know that once a week the dog will be there. The dogs say the community cares," Shackleton said.

Riley believes that volunteers like Molly actually help residents learn to love and express feelings. "When I first started going I noticed that the majority of residents we visited had trouble giving Molly positive reinforcement. It occurred to me that some of these kids never received positive reinforcement in their life. Maybe that's Molly's role; she is teaching them how to show love and kindness."

"My dog," is the refrain Shackleton and Riley often hear from residents when they visit Bluewater. The residents bond with the dog and feel a sense of ownership. Each visit is different because each resident sets the tone of the visit. Sometimes the resident will not want to talk and will spend the whole visit grooming the dog. At other times dog, owner and resident just hang out and talk. Whatever they do during their time together Dykxhoorn believes that one of the best aspects of the visits is that residents get a companion who is an unconditional source of friendship. "Dogs are non-judgemental," said Dykxhoorn.

Because there are not enough volunteers for everybody most residents are not involved with a therapy dog. Residents must be referred to the program by the clinical staff at Bluewater and the staff selects residents based on who could benefit the most from a visit with a volunteer.

The human counterparts of the dog-volunteer team are quick to point out that it is not only the residents at Bluewater who gain something special from the program. Volunteers become attached to the residents they visit and often form an emotional bond. "The visits are therapy for me too. I can't even begin to describe what I get from volunteering." Shackleton said. Riley had just gone through a difficult divorce when he decided to volunteer and he described how visiting with the residents allowed him to put his own difficulties in perspective. "It is easier to forget your own problems when you are at Bluewater," he said.

The dogs also appear to love the visits as much as the residents do. When Shackleton and Marla arrive at Bluewater, "Marla's out of the car and pulling on the leash. She knows she is going to work...Marla gives her full attention to the resident she is visiting," said Shackleton. Like Marla, Molly also enjoys her visits. Riley described how Molly has a tendency to put her paw on the resident's leg during visits. "It's as if the dog is trying to say, you're my friend," Riley said.

A few months ago Riley received a letter from a former resident of Bluewater. Among a list of reasons in which she detailed the positive aspects of the Therapy Dog Program she wrote that the program "brings happiness to a place where there is a lot of anger and frustration." She ended her letter by writing, "I'll probably not see you again but please give Molly a hug and treat for me." Riley cherishes this letter.

Each visit runs from about 45 minutes to one hour. When visiting hours are over volunteers like Riley and Molly have to say good-bye. But they leave knowing that next week they will be back because Bluewater residents will always be in need of non-judgemental friends and Molly will always be in need of an extra treat.