Volunteers’ Week: Celebrating Therapy Dogs

03 Jun 24

This week is Volunteers’ Week.

Here, we are putting a spotlight on our volunteer Therapy Dogs. These dogs regularly visit HPFT’s inpatient units, providing a sense of comfort, emotional support, companionship and fun. They are also specially temperament-tested, ensuring that both the service users and the dog are comfortable.

Falkor: Albany Lodge’s Therapy Dog

Falkor is a Therapy Dog which visits Albany Lodge, one of HPFT’s adult inpatient units. He spends time with the service users, meeting them in small groups, taking them one on one for walks and doing tricks.

One service user was exceptionally delighted to meet Falkor and crafted a painting to honour him.

A detailed painting of Falkor, the Therapy Dog, painted by a service user

“I enjoy the fact that he makes people smile.” Jo, Falkor’s owner, expressed. “It creates a bubble of calm – it makes a different connection and I think it’s really powerful.”

Jo works with Therapy Dogs Nationwide, a national charity to supporting volunteers to take their dogs into establishments as therapy animals. Learn more here: https://tdn.org.uk/

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Volunteers’ Week: Celebrating Therapy Dogs