Jo’s Story

What’s it like to volunteer with a therapy dog?

Meet Jo, our volunteer, and her therapy dog, Falkor.

Many people know the benefits that owning a dog can have – their loyalty and devotion can bring companionship, relaxation and peace to their owners. Some owners choose to spread these benefits to others by sharing their four-legged friends for the purpose of pet therapy.  

Jo and her dog, Falkor, do just that for patients and relatives at our Inpatient Unit in Watford.  

Falkor is a beautiful Tibetan terrier who, according to Jo would ‘literally stop traffic’ as a puppy because he was a ‘ball of fluff’! That, says Jo, is how she first knew that Falkor could bring comfort and joy to other people’s lives as much as he does to her own.  

When Falkor was old enough, Jo registered him with Therapy Dogs Nationwide and following the assessment that all therapy dogs complete, Falkor was ready to go as a therapy dog.  

Jo explains:  

“Falkor and I have visited a range of settings from residential homes to a mental health unit. We have been visiting the Rennie Grove Peace Inpatient Unit (IPU) since spring 2024, after spending a year visiting Living Well groups at Grove House.  

“The visits to the IPU are really guided by each individual patient and at times, their visitors. Everybody is given the choice about whether they’d like to spend some time with Falkor and me. If they would, we visit them wherever they are – in their room or the communal areas – and they spend a little while stroking Falkor. Some people like to just sit in silence and enjoy the comfort of stroking a dog. Other people like to chat away to Falkor, and to me.  

“The reaction we get from people we visit can be very profound. Some people talk about their own dogs – maybe their dog sadly died, or they were unable to look after them due to ill health – and they miss the companionship and comfort that a dog can bring.  

“During each visit I want to make sure that the person can get as much out of it as possible. If they’re lying in bed Falkor can either sit on a chair next to them, or even join them on the bed, so they can enjoy a more face-to-face interaction. You can often see a calmness come over people when they spend time with Falkor and that’s a joy to see.” 

Following her own experience of having a therapy dog, Jo has now trained as an assessor herself. She explains:  

“I am happy to speak to anybody who is interested in volunteering with Therapy Dogs Nationwide to clarify what’s involved. You can explore the TDN  website or just speak to the Rennie Grove Peace volunteering team if you would like to be put in touch with Jo.

“There isn’t specific training that dogs need to do but there is an assessment to make sure that the dog is the right fit for the role. For example, we need to assess the dog’s reactions and how happy they are to be handled or touched, as well as whether they are calm and responsive to the owner’s direction. It’s a very informal assessment and a large part of it is explaining the role to the owner.  

“I’d definitely recommend it to other dog owners as I get a great deal out of the role. Prior to having a dog I volunteered in other settings, however I have found that volunteering with a dog has opened up a whole new level of engagement and mutual enjoyment for me and the people Falkor visits.”