Therapy dogs help kids to get back on their feet
Every Monday morning, big smiles fill the classroom at the Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre’s (OCTC) school on Smyth Road whenever Clarence, a therapy dog, comes for a visit.
It’s time to go for a walk with the dog. The large, gentle dog seems comfortable working with young children with physical disabilities. Typical of his breed, a Spinone Italiano, he has a sweet, docile and social temperament.
His handler and owner is Mary Lou Trappitt, a pleasant, cheerful woman, retired after 36 years at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). Together, they volunteer with a small, registered charity in Ottawa called Ottawa Therapy Dogs (OTD).
Clarence’s day begins with washing, grooming and getting ready for the school visit, which takes some time. Fortunately, Clarence enjoys the tub, unlike many dogs. Trappitt knows the routine well, having volunteered with Clarence at the Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre school since 2012.
When Clarence and Trappitt enter, school staff and children welcome them, with many teachers and educational assistants pausing to pet the dog and chat before the classroom work begins. The first stop is the principal’s office, a meeting with Leslie Walker.
She explains a therapy dog team can offer all kinds of support. For these children — all in kindergarten, with a range of complex physical and cognitive disabilities — an everyday walk with a therapy dog can provide opportunities for independence, confidence building, responsibility and pride.
“The students are getting elements of their physiotherapy program with Clarence and they don’t even know it,” Walker says.
In addition to gaining confidence and strength in walking, the young students also develop confidence with an animal. They have a sense of importance when they stop to give the dog water, or brush him.
Clarence is not the first therapy dog to visit OCTC’s school, located next door to CHEO. Teams with Ottawa Therapy Dogs have visited for several years.
Because of Clarence’s popularity, he and Trappitt rotate classrooms week to week. On this visit, their first child is a delightful kindergarten student, Abby, thrilled to go first from her class to walk Clarence.
These walks are carefully structured, sometimes assisted by staff. Trappitt holds one leash attached to the dog’s collar, with a second leash given to Abby to hold. At age five, Abby mainly communicates using gesture and facial expressions with some words. She understands well.
Along the hallways, both staff and strangers stop to encourage the little girl on the walkabout. Abby smiles and walks the dog through the corridors.
Partway along the walk, Abby stops to help give Clarence a drink of water and wipes his face with a clean towel.
Back in the classroom about 15 minutes later, Abby reluctantly releases the leash. Her young classmates are waiting to take their turn to walk the dog, too. He’s a popular one.
“I can really see that Clarence makes a difference,” Trappitt says.
She sees her dog helping children take “little steps” in their rehabilitation programs. The gentle dog helps motivate the children.
In addition to her volunteer work at the school, Trappitt also volunteers with Clarence elsewhere through Ottawa Therapy Dogs. Once a week, they assist older children with mental health issues and visit with adults with developmental delays.
On Saturday, Nov. 26, Trappitt and Clarence will be one of four therapy dog ambassadors honoured for their volunteer work.
The event is a fundraising dinner and dance sponsored by Ottawa Therapy Dogs called Four Dog Night: A Musical Dogumentary. It’s expected to be a fun, lively evening that will celebrate good dogs through some great music.
Tickets are available through www.ottawatherapydogs.ca.