By Eleanor Smith
Some time ago, The Strathisla Children’s Centre Team and I met with Canine and Able to discuss the possibility of having therapy dogs visit our setting in Keith, Moray.
Their team was excellent; they spoke enthusiastically and explained everything to us.
Canine and Able offers various services, including therapy dog visits, public access training and assessment for assistance dogs, transportation training for assistance dogs (covering planes, trains, buses, and ferries), general dog training, and much more.
They already provide therapy sessions in many hospitals, care homes, and other locations that benefit from their work.
After receiving permission from our families, they visited us for the first time in April with Ivy, a five-year-old Pointer, and Tinkerbell, a twelve-week-old black Labrador.
The children were amazing and gained so much from the visit. Both dogs were gentle, calm and patient as all the children took turns to stroke them. It was so interesting to see how relaxed the children were while the dogs were here and how they knew to be caring, peaceful and gentle.
Having the therapy dogs visit us here at Strathisla will be incredibly purposeful.
Therapy dog visits create a calm, nurturing environment that helps children build confidence, develop empathy, and strengthen communication skills. For shy or anxious children, the presence of a therapy dog can provide safety and reduce stress, promoting a sense of belonging. The dog’s calming influence aids emotional regulation and encourages positive behaviours like kindness and responsibility.
We are delighted that Ivy, Tinkerbell, and their other therapy dog friends will visit us every other Wednesday. We can’t wait to get to know them over the coming weeks and months, and the children can’t wait to see them return. We are very grateful to the Canine and Able team for giving us this amazing opportunity.
