DUNNVILLE—Meet Opie, a year-and-half-old Bernedoodle who has been visiting long-term care homes and the hospital since he was just three months old as he works toward becoming a Certified Therapy Dog.
Owner and trainer Brittany Pyle explained that training began at home with simple commands like ‘sit’ and ‘stay.’ It has also been important to take him into stores to begin very important socialization skills so he would “know how to respond to people.”
Pyle, understanding that Opie would need more intensive training to be certified, sought the advice of a professional dog trainer who “thought Opie would do great as a therapy dog and gave me some advice on how to begin training him.”
To achieve certification, Pyle discovered that her best option was through the Canadian Good Canine Test, which Opie is scheduled to take in September. He will need to pass a technical test and have 50 volunteer hours logged to certify him as a Novice Therapy Dog.
Once Opie has passed the test and is two years old, Pyle can apply for his Certified Therapy Dog certificate through the Canadian Kennel Club.
She cautions that it is not a simple process to certify a therapy dog: “There are a lot of websites that you can pay to certify your dog that don’t ask for credentials of who you trained through and how many hours you have volunteered at a place to prove that you have been putting the work in.”
Opie has been visiting Edgewater Gardens on a weekly basis with support from Judy O’Neill, Director of Therapeutic Recreation at the Haldimand War Memorial Hospital, and coordinated by Carol Gaudun of the Dunnville Health Centre Volunteer Association (DHCVA).
And as Volunteer Month has just come to an end, O’Neill expressed appreciation for all the volunteers who dedicate “their service to our residents.”
Volunteer opportunities include youth volunteers, some of which are Mealtime Partners assisting residents to ensure the residents’ nutritional intake is adequate. O’Neill happily shared, “We also have a youth volunteer (the granddaughter of one of our residents) who dresses up as a clown when she is visiting and goes around the home spreading cheer. There’s nothing like a clown to brighten everyone’s day!”
There is an art program two times per week with local artist John Bittman, who according to O’Neill “has volunteered for Edgewater since 2019 and was our first volunteer to return after Covid!”
Husband and wife musical duo John and Jenn Vandervliet “volunteer every Monday morning and facilitate a program called ‘Musical Mondays’ where John plays guitar and Jenn facilitates a singing group. Residents love to sing familiar songs and look forward to this group every week,” she added.
“New this past year was introduced a ‘Handyman Volunteer’ experience for men,” O’Neill noted.
“Our handyman volunteer, John, goes throughout the home and completes minor repairs, fixes paint, and will hang pictures for residents, etc.” she explained. “This position has proven to be very rewarding as residents are enjoying chatting with John while he fixes up their rooms.”
During Volunteer Month, DHCVA hosted a volunteer lunch and a volunteer tea to honour all their volunteers.
O’Neill stated, “Both events were well attended, and volunteers were given a token of appreciation for their service throughout the year.”
She concluded, “Every volunteer brings with them a special talent or interest which if matched to service makes the experience meaningful on a deeper level.”
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or have any questions about the programs at Haldimand War Memorial Hospital (HWMH) or the long-term care homes, contact HWMH at 905-774-7431, Edgewater Gardens at 905-774-2503, or Grandview Lodge at 905-774-7547.
