Leading PAWSitive Canine Connections

Colleen Anne Dell, PhD

Colleen Anne Dell, PhDColleen Anne Dell, PhDColleen Anne Dell, PhD
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    • Home
    • About
      • About Colleen Dell
      • One Health
      • Recognitions
      • The Team
      • Get Involved
    • Dog Initiatives
      • Learn About
    • Research Areas
      • Addiction
      • HIV/AIDS
      • Inmates
      • Patients
      • Service Providers
      • Students
      • Veterans
    • Research Outcomes
      • Academic Articles
      • Creative Works
      • Fact Sheets
      • Podcasts & Vidoes
      • Reports and Magazines
      • Training & Workshops
      • Toolkit & Course
    • Teaching
      • Teaching Philosophy
      • In the Classroom
      • Student Supervision
    • News & Media
      • News Media
      • Social Media
      • Therapy Dog Blog
      • Service Dog Blog
    • PAWSitiveCanine
    • Top10

Colleen Anne Dell, PhD

Colleen Anne Dell, PhDColleen Anne Dell, PhDColleen Anne Dell, PhD
  • Home
  • About
  • Dog Initiatives
  • Research Areas
  • Research Outcomes
  • Teaching
  • News & Media
  • PAWSitiveCanine
  • Top10

Enriching the 'Magic' of Therapy Dogs

Therapy Dog Handler Education

BACKGROUND:  St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog teams have been providing comfort and support to individuals they visit for over 15 years in Saskatchewan, and since 1992 starting in Peterborough, Ontario. There are numerous other therapy dog organizations in Canada. 


The human and dog volunteer teams visit at a range of places where individuals do not typically have access to a pet, such as hospitals, airports, and university campuses. This is called an animal assisted activity. Extensive vetting and testing is typically involved in becoming a therapy dog team, but limited education is provided to handlers to increase their awareness and skills in areas that would support their visits. 


AIM:  To help fill this gap, a free, four-hour online course has been designed for therapy dog handlers to:

  • Become aware of their own biases with regards to the diversity of others (e.g., culture, race, sexuality, socioeconomic status, etc.), and make a commitment to supporting inclusive therapy dog experiences.   (Module 1 - diversity & inclusion)
  • Describe what mental health is, with particular attention to anxiety and trauma and how they impact thinking and behaving, and identify the basics of responding to a client’s mental health.  (Module 2 - client mental health with Erin Beckwell)
  • Describe mental health self-care and peer support, why they are important, and how therapy dog handlers can practice them.   (Module 3 - handler self-care and peer-support with Janelle Jackiw)
  • Identify the basics of dog body language and therapy dog care, during and after visiting.  (Module 4 - dog behavior and care with Anne Howie)


This course is open to therapy dog handlers as well as anyone wishing to improve inclusive communication with others, the well-being of themselves, and/or better understand their dog’s behaviour. The course modules will be available in June, 2022!  


Thank You

Sponsorship

Sponsorship

Sponsorship

This course was made possible by sponsorship from author Jane Smith, who shared half of the proceeds of the sale of the children’s book Murphy Mondays, funded by a HUG Grant from the Royal University Hospital (RUH) Foundation. Murphy Mondays tells the story of the first St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Team to visit a Emergency Department in Canada. Books are available for purchase at DriverWorks, McNally Robinson, and Indigo/Chapters/Coles. 

Our Team

Sponsorship

Sponsorship

The PAWSitive Canine Connections team in the Office of One Health and Wellness at the University of Saskatchewan (Ben Carey, Colleen Dell, Maryellen Gibson, Aliya Khalid, Linzi Williamson) designed this online education opportunity in partnership with the Distance Education Unit (Julie Maier) at the University of Saskatchewan and the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program (SK) (Stephanie Peachey, Jane Smith).

Our Partners

Colleen Anne Dell

University of Saskatchewan

(306) 966-5912 colleen.dell@usask.ca

Copyright © 2022 Colleen Anne Dell - All Rights Reserved.

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