Animal lovers know that when it comes to making a human connection, dogs are our liaison to the animal world.
The company of a friendly dog can take the edge off our darkest moments, and you get the feeling that they understand us better than we understand them.
It makes total sense that volunteers at the B.C. Cancer Agency would incorporate dogs into their patient care. A lovable Rottweiler cross like Derby the dog volunteer, for example, can make a stressed out cancer patient relax for a few precious moments —which is huge when you consider that patient might be facing ongoing radiation or chemotherapy treatments.
“The whole energy in the centre changes when the pets are here,” says Volunteer Coordinator Lisa Kenyon. “It’s a really positive and appreciated interaction that patients have with the pet teams. It really is such tremendous value that they bring, that we would love to see more visitors bringing in their qualified pets.”
The operative word might be “qualified.” Not just any mutt with a heart can work a shift at one of the agency’s five cancer centres, which is where patients receive treatment and diagnosis.
“A patient could be visiting with their oncologist to find out how treatment is going or predict future planning to discuss surgical options,” says Kenyon. “There are all kinds of prep work, lab work, blood work, scans.
“So definitely, the stress levels and anxiety of people coming in are very high, especially for that first visit. You’ve been to your family doctor, found something a little out of the ordinary, and been referred here by your general practitioner. There’s quite a high anxiety level to that process, coming in the door,” says Kenyon.
“That’s why our volunteer program helps them to know there is a warm and friendly face, to get them through that first visit. They are wondering, ‘Where am I going?’ ‘What is [the doctor] going to do?’ ‘What’s going to happen to me?’”
In Vancouver alone, there are about six different volunteer teams who work with pets.
In order to qualify, a pet owner must first go through one of two programs in B.C. Both St. John’s Ambulance Dog Therapy Program and B.C. Pets and Friends offer training to ensure pets don’t jump up on people or roughhouse, and generally know how to behave among infirm and elderly patients. They must have their proper vaccinations with up-to-date health records, and surprisingly perhaps, they mustn’t — well, smell like a dog.
For obvious reasons, there are no stinky canines allowed into the program, which is one of the odder requirements, says Kenyon.
One volunteer team member even brings doggy breath mints for her dog before they make the rounds.
The motivation for a person to take the training and work the shifts is usually because they have had a brush with cancer in their lives.
“Some volunteers are former cancer patients, so they are coming because they know what they went through and they believe in the value that their pet can bring,” says Kenyon.
“Also, it’s cancer connected because a person might not have been through cancer, but maybe they lost a loved one and they know the value a pet can bring.
“Overall, I think people participate because feel connected to their pet and how valuable the pet is to them, and they want to share that with others.”
To learn more about the volunteer program, contact Lisa Kenyon at lkenyon@bccancer.bc.ca
