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CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF THE ST. JOHN AMBULANCE THERAPY DOG PROGRAM
ALL ABOUT NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR
This Map shows you where all of the highlighted teams are located!
The Therapy Dog Program has been in Newfoundland since 1995 and is working on expanding to Labrador. Since that time the program has grown to 30 active teams in Avalon and Central NL. The volunteers visit Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Special Care Homes, Libraries, Kids Camps, Community Centres, Workplaces, Schools, Penitentiaries, Universities and so much more!
MEET THE TEAMS
Representing Newfoundland & Labrador
ANGELA MARTIN, BRANDY, BEN, KLONDIKE, MAGGIE & ELWOOD
Volunteering since 2003 from Torbay, NL
Angela decided to enter the program after she rescued her dog, Brandy, from the SPCA. When her manager at work, Audrey Pryor, an SJA Volunteer, met Brandy and immediately thought she would be a fantastic Therapy Dog. Angela got some information on the program and the rest is history!
Angela has many memories from over the years but one that stands out was a visit to the Janeway with her other Therapy Dog, Ben. While waiting for the children to arrive, Angela could see this little boy approaching. She could tell he was really sick, but once he saw Ben, it immediately lifted his spirits. The two were inseparable the entire visit. Ben laid down on the floor then the little boy lay next to him, rested his little head on Ben’s tummy and both fell to sleep. When the visit was over the little boy asked Ben for a kiss. He was never one for licking but he ever so gently gave the little boy a kiss on his cheek. Both parents thanked Angela and said how much the visit meant to them. From that moment on Angela knew how important volunteer work was.
“This is such a rewarding program, and I am so proud to be a part of it. I’ve met some pretty amazing volunteers over the years who have turned out to be great friends. My therapy dogs have each brought countless smiles to people’s faces. It’s amazing to watch how your dog can brighten up a room.”
Thank you, Angela, Brandy, & Ben, for sharing your story!
ASHLEY CHAULK & CABOT
Volunteering since 2017 from St. John’s, NL
Ashley is originally from Port aux Basques but moved to St. John's to pursue social work. She shares her life with her husband, three kids, three dogs, as well as one fearless kitty. Being involved in the community and giving back is important to Ashley. Her Therapy Dog, Cabot retired from the program last year – he and Ashley truly miss the Therapy Dog Program, and Ashley hopes to return in the future.
Joining the Therapy Dog Program in 2017, Ashley and Cabot made quite the impact – visiting the Waterford Hospital, a Mental Health and Addictions facility in St. John’s, and the Health Sciences Centre Psychiatry Unit. Ashley shared that “you could always tell just how much the patients at these facilities appreciated and looked forward to our visits. Especially at the Health Sciences Centre – the patients would all come to the common area, you could see how the program created connections. It was always evident just how much the dogs visiting would brighten their days”.
Ashley is hoping to get her younger Newfoundland dog, Harry, involved in the program in the near future. She’s sure Cabot will be jealous, but he had his turn.
Thank you, Ashley & Cabot, for sharing your story!
BRIDE HEPDITCH, KRISSY, BRISE, BEAU & BELLE
Volunteering since 2000 from St.John’s, NL & Clarenville, NL
Therapy Dog Volunteer of the year in 2015 for NL, Bride spends her time between her homes in St. John’s and Clarenville – visiting with her dogs in both communities.
After seeing an advertisement for the program on TV, she checked it out with her local St. John Ambulance and in 2000, called Mr. Bruce Dyke, and began her journey.
A memory that stayed with Bride happened in the early years of the program. Bride went into a resident’s room and she was lying in bed with a headache. In less than 10 minutes the resident was upbeat, chatting and laughing. She had "forgotten" that she was sick! This showed Bride just how powerful this program is - the dogs really could heal.
It’s had a huge impact on Bride’s life – she used to do 2 or 3 visits almost every day to different places and she enjoyed it. It gave Bride an opportunity to fill her time with meaningful work. It’s become her job since retiring – she’s just go, go, go. Bride expressed that “it’s a great program, you really get back what you put in. Whenever I’m having a bad day, I just go visit with my dog and I come back feeling like a million dollars”.
Thank you, Bride & Krissy, for sharing your story!
HELEN HAYWARD, ABBY & SNICKER
Volunteering since 2009 from St. John’s, NL
When Helen’s friend Edna became involved with the Therapy Dog Program, Helen decided that when she retired she would start as well. It worked out that Helen’s puppy, Abby, was born 10 weeks before she retired, and a year later Abby was evaluated and accepted into the program.
Helen shared that there are so many memories she has from the program. A lot of MUN students will arrange their class schedule to make sure that they can come to see Helen and the MUN team on Thursdays at the Oasis Program. Some students will even come back to visit once they’ve graduated because they can’t get enough of it.
At Cambridge Estates the residents and the staff are so welcoming and kind. The residents get so excited on the night they know the dogs are coming. They’ll be down in the front lobby waiting for Helen and Abby every Wednesday at 6:30.
The program keeps Helen busy, giving her something to do outside of the house. She also finds it very rewarding – “everyone we visit is so happy to see us and the dogs. My dogs have loved the program – whenever Abby saw me put on the red shirt and get her scarf, she knew it was time and she was ready to go”.
Thank you, Helen & Abby, for sharing your story!
GEORGINA SHORT & HANDSOME HERSHEY
Volunteering since 2018 from Mount Pearl, NL
Originally from Stephenville, Georgina moved to Mount Pearl and became a Police Constable with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. Georgina wanted to make a difference by bringing people comfort and company and Handsome Hershey was a great fit to help. She says that he’s like a little old man, he’s very comfortable with people, and makes them smile.
A memory that Georgina shared occurred while visiting the Marine Institute back in 2021. A regular venue to visit the students, however, this particular visit was for the staff. Georgina had an acquaintance who was working there and recently lost their dog. When she arrived at the visit and saw Hershey, there was a quiet moment between them. Georgina could see in that interaction, that Hershey understood her pain and was as calm as possible. She put her nose to his and he never moved, he just let her have their moment. Georgina expressed that although it may be a cliché, whenever she leaves the Therapy Dog visit, she’s so happy. There are so many days that she and Hershey have brightened in moments such as these.
“We’re so happy to be a part of the program and to have the opportunity to help others for as long as we can. There are so many stories, but in every single one, there’s a common theme of the joy the program brings to others. You really become a part of the support system for the people that you visit.”
Thank you, Georgina & Handsome Hershey, for sharing your story!
JILL LOCKE, PENNEY & MAYA
Volunteering since 2016 from St. John’s, NL
When Jill first saw the Therapy Dog Program online, she thought to herself “my dog Maya is really sweet, she’d be so good for that”. After they passed their evaluation it just took on a life of its own.
During a visit to Ronald McDonald House, Jill met a young girl who absolutely adored Maya. Every time they would visit her she would ask Jill if she could brush Maya. Jill then bought a little dollar store brush, and it was always in her purse. One time she even turned the car around because she forgot the brush. The girl would brush Maya the entire visit, every time. On one occasion, the girl wasn't able to join the group visit but asked if Jill and Maya could go to her room. When she walked in with Maya, the girl's face lit up! Maya got in the bed and curled up next to her. Of course, the next question “...do you have her brush?” and of course, Jill did. The two of them quietly enjoyed their visit – both so gentle and present. Jill was heartbroken to learn she passed away during the period Therapy Dogs couldn't visit due to COVID- 19. Jill shared that she’ll always remember the little girl and her family. There are so many moments Jill spent with her that she’ll be forever grateful for.
Jill expressed that “It’s the little things like the smiles – everyone always seems so happy to see us coming that it makes you feel pretty good inside and that you’ve had an impact on them. Maybe not the most profound answer, but it’s the truth...my truth at least. I hope the program continues forever and more organizations or more health care facilities realize what an impact the program has”.
“You might not always see it right away, but you can’t dispute the effect we have on the community.”
MICHELE BORIEL & TESS
Volunteering since 2008 from Mount Pearl, NL
Michele, her husband, Ken & their dog Tess moved here from Yellowknife when Tess was still just a puppy. The name Tess, short for Teslin is derived from the Tlingit word tás ten, or "long sewing sinew”, which refers to the 148-kilometer long and narrow Teslin Lake flowing from British Columbia into southeast Yukon. Michele and her husband fell in love with the community of Teslin as it’s such a beautiful place, so they named Tess after it.
Michele wanted to join the program so she could share the love and enjoyment of a dog with others. Once she got Tess into the program, they fell in love with it and it quickly became a full-time "job" for them. They began to spend so much time visiting because they get as much out of it as the people they are visiting. When you bring the dogs into a facility, no one pays any attention to the handler, anyone could be at the end of that leash. So for Michele, Tess did all the "work".
Michele says she would like to say thank you to St. John Ambulance. She couldn’t imagine what her life would have been like without the program. She doesn’t know who came up with the idea for the program, but she’s so glad they did. It’s so rewarding, and she’s missed it over the last two years. Even once Tess is no longer involved, she can see herself continuing to be involved.
Michele shares that she feels she will always have a home within the Therapy Dog Program.
Thank you, Michele & Tess, for sharing your story!
GLENYS DLUGOSCH, TEDDY & JAKE
Volunteering since 2000 from Mount Pearl, NL
Glenys has lived all over the beautiful province until settling in Mount Pearl with her husband Gunter and their two children. Glenys entered the Therapy Dog program many years ago after a Volunteer (Bruce Dyke) and his German Sheppard were visiting her Father-in-Law at St. Pat's Retirement Home. After Glenys's son left for school, she found herself having a lot more spare time and decided to put her dog, Teddy, in an obedience class. Teddy was successful in their evaluation and then visited with the program from 2000 to 2005. When Teddy retired, Glenys continued volunteering as a unit coordinator and also visiting with a friend's dog, Jake.
One core memory for Glenys was an experience with a stroke patient at the Miller Centre. The patient had extremely limited movement and communication ability due to their stroke and had shown little improvement since arriving at the rehab center. When Glenys arrived for her visit with Teddy, the nurse suggested she go visit this patient. Glenys entered the room with Teddy, to her surprise, the man managed a smile and Glenys approached his bed with Teddy. After a few minutes of interacting, the patient looked at Glenys and by some miracle, put together the words "Good Dog". Glenys remarked on the profound impact the program can have on ill patients.
For Teddy, the program gave him purpose and for Glenys, the program provided her with fulfillment but also with lifelong companionship through the people she met in the program. Apart from this, the pure joy and gratification she got from her visits made it hard to leave at the end of every visit.
Thank you, Glenys, Teddy, & Jake, for sharing your story!
MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY OF NEWFOUNDLAND - THE OASIS PROGRAM
Below are the stories of volunteers Edna Knight, Judy Murphy Chafe, and Cheryl Hong.
Volunteers Georgina Short, Bride Hepditch, and Helen Hayward (who were otherwise nominated) also share their fond memories of visits to Memorial University.
Every Thursday, the SJA Volunteers participate in the Memorial University Student Wellness & Counselling Centre’s Oasis Program.
Edna Knight
Visiting since 1999 from St. John’s, NL
Edna Knight began volunteering with SJA in 1999 and since then, has had 7 dogs in the Therapy Dog program. Edna currently has one dog who is active in the program, Panda Bear, and her 13-year-old Shih-Tzu who has been visiting the Therapy Dog Program since he was just one year old.
After retirement, Edna wasn’t sure what she was going to do to fill all her free time, so when a friend asked her if she’d like to do some volunteering with the Therapy Dog Program, she figured she would try it out. Edna says it was the best decision she ever made to become involved and 23 years later, she still loves the program as much. She shared that for her, “It’s one thing I will never regret – joining this program changed my life for the better”. At MUN, the students are very receptive to the dogs, especially international students who are far from home and their own pets. Edna shared that “It’s amazing – they’re so sweet and they really appreciate the program”.
Almost every visit Edna goes on, she can see the impact of the program. “The joy in the people we visit eye’s when they see us coming, they’re almost jumping for joy, ‘oh my gosh, the dogs are here!’. And to know that they welcome and appreciate me as much as the dog, it means a lot to me”. Edna says that she would have been lost if she hadn’t found this program after she retired – stating that it’s been her lifeline now for 23 years. To this day, she still thanks Sister Patricia from St. Pat’s Mercy Home for getting the Program started there.
“Every time we go visiting St. Pat’s, I think of her, and the difference she made in the lives of so many.”
Cheryl Hong
Visting since 2017 from St. John’s, NL
Cheryl Hong is originally from Bay Roberts, Newfoundland but currently lives in St. John’s. A member of the Therapy Dog program since 2017, she loves taking daily hikes with her dogs and is happily married with 4 kids, 4 Havanese, and 2 cats. From a very young age, Cheryl became aware that she had two main passions in life: helping people, dogs, dogs, more dogs, and anything that related to dogs! Becoming a member of the Therapy Dog program was the perfect way for Cheryl to feed both her passions.
One of Cheryl’s favorite memories from the program happened during a weekly visit to Memorial University, in the Fall semester of 2018. A first-year student asked to spend some time with Teddy, and after a quiet, and long moment between the two, she and Cheryl struck up a conversation. She explained to Cheryl that she was from Europe, knew some English but had never really spoken it, traveled here to Newfoundland completely on her own to attend MUN, and that up until that moment, she didn’t know a single soul here. She expressed many of her insecurities, and hesitations that she had and that that private moment with Ted, was the first time since moving to Newfoundland that she had felt at peace and that everything was going to be okay. She returned to visit all the dogs, but especially her little buddy Teddy, each and every week for the entire school year, and was always so thankful for the time with him. Cheryl shared that “what I loved about that moment and so many more like it that I have had over the last 5 years with the TD program is that the expression of gratitude, and those quiet moments between the dogs and the people that they interact with, is at its essence, the rapid spreading of joy”. While it is true that Teddy cannot talk, his actions during visits, speak loudly of just how content he is when they have that time together, giving back to the community that they love.
Judy Murphy Chafe
From Portugal Cove- St. Philip’s, NL
When Judy Murphy Chafe’s mom was in a long-term care facility, she saw firsthand just how lonely some of the residents at her home were because they didn’t have anyone to visit them. She had been thinking about joining the Therapy Dog Program for several years, but she owned a Yorkie, Ty, and they’re not known for being very people friendly. So, I waited, and finally, when he was about 5 or 6, Judy decided to get him evaluated – and he got into the program with no problem.
For Judy, there is one particular memory at MUN that stands out. There was a young girl from Asia who was terrified of dogs, and over the semester, the MUN volunteers put some work into desensitizing her to the dogs until soon, she had Ty up in her arms cuddling him! You’re giving them the benefit of interacting with the dogs, easing their stress – especially come exam time. But, on the other hand – the students also educate Judy in different ways. There are a variety of different nationalities that attend MUN – people from all over the world. Meeting all the different students, they’ve taught her so much about their cultures and where they come from. There really is a unity that exists at the MUN visits. It isn’t just St. John Ambulance that participates in the Oasis Program, but the MUN Chaplains and the Student Societies – it really does feel like a family that they’ve created there every Thursday.
Georgina Short: One memory in particular that stands out is a student of the University came up and was snuggling with Hershey so Georgina struck up a conversation and asked them about themselves. They became emotional because their dog was back home and they were unable to bring them to the university residence with them. They’re from outside of Canada, so they got emotional because her interaction with Hershey reminded her of the dog she missed from back home. Each week after that, they would make sure that they would come back to see Hershey – so that was pretty special to know that they are so far away from home, and seeing another puppy, Hershey, allowed them to go back home for that moment
Bride Hepditch: There are a lot of students from outside Newfoundland who miss their pets or who have never had a pet before. There was one girl who was terrified of dogs once, but by the end of the visit, we had her falling in love with all our dogs, picking them up and snuggling them, it was amazing.
Helen Hayward: Oh my, there are so many memories. A lot of students will arrange their class schedules to make sure that they can come to see us on Thursdays at the Oasis Program. They’ll also text their classmates to make sure that they come to visit us as well. Some students will even come back to visit us once they’ve graduated because they can’t get enough of it. It’s especially appreciated during Exam Week when the students are extra-stressed.
HER MAJESTY’S PENITENTIARY VISITING TEAM
Noreen Myrick Flynn, Casey, Rosie & Charlie Brown Volunteering since 2005 from Paradise, NL
Rick Gagnon & Rosco Volunteering since 2016 from St. John’s, NL
For Noreen Myrick Flynn and Rick Gagnon, after a career as lifelong educators, they wondered what they would do to fill their time after retirement. Noreen heard about the program through a friend, Glenys Dlugosch, and shortly thereafter got her dog, Casey, into the program. Between her love of dogs and of people, she knew the program was a perfect fit for her. Rick knew he wanted to volunteer, but wasn’t sure where to get started. After hearing about the program from a student intern he was supervising at Memorial University, he decided that once his puppy, Rosco, was of age, he would get him evaluated to become a Therapy Dog.
Noreen and Rick quickly began to enjoy visiting together and once Rick was offered to begin visiting at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary in St. John’s, Noreen started to join him there soon after. The two were apprehensive about visiting there, but they soon noticed the significant impact they were having on the residents of the penitentiary. Noreen shared that “For a lot of the inmates we visit, they’re just genuine, good people who just got lost along the way – be it products of their environment or such. They’re people and they’re lonely, stressed, anxious, and depressed. But, when you show them that you’re interested in what they have to say, they just really start to open up and they’ll tell you their story”. For Rick, he explained that “The power of a dog in terms of their non-judgmental nature that allows people to experience the comfort and open up is remarkable” as he reflected on inmates who had finally begun to open up to the facilities counselors after interacting with Rick’s dog Rosco.
Consequently, the Therapy Dog Program has played a significant part in both Noreen's and Rick’s lives. Rick thinks the world of the program, saying that all the participants are so thankful when they visit, especially the marginalized populations that truly appreciate the program and use it to combat their loneliness.
“Every time we arrive for a visit; the residents welcome us with open arms – they’re so excited to see us. That’s all we need to see to know how much we are appreciated. Being able to still give back to the community in a fun, worthwhile way during retirement, it’s everything”.
Thank you, Rick & Noreen, for sharing your stories!