Flying can be stressful for many reasons. To help promote a “pawsitive” experience and elicit some smiles from travelers and staff, certified therapy dogs from the Compassionate Canines of Central Oregon have been roaming the terminals at the Redmond Airport since May 2022.
A team of handlers and their happy dogs visit the airport as part of a visitor-enhancement strategy initiated by Erinn Shaw, Redmond Municipal Airport office assistant.
“The more I’ve traveled, the more I’ve seen these programs at other airports,” said Shaw. Shaw contacted Heidi Huebner, who started a therapy dog program called PUP (Pets Unstressing Passengers) at the LAX airport in California, launched in 2013. The San Jose, California, airport was the first airport to have a therapy dog program starting shortly after 9/11. “I contacted Heidi and she gave me their program information which we modified to fit our airport,” said Shaw.
To start the program, Shaw also reached out to CCoCO who were more than excited.
“This was her idea and she has made it work!” said Sue Dolezal, Alliance of Therapy Dogs steering committee member and CCoCO volunteer. “The Airport personnel are the best I have ever worked with. Erinn and the rest of the staff are outstanding to work with and their care and concern for our dogs is outstanding,” said Dolezal.
All the dogs and handlers are certified and insured through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs or the Pet Partners organization. “Compassionate Canines of Central Oregon is an informal group that screens many of the facilities the therapy dogs visit in Central Oregon,” said Dolezal. “We help new therapy dog teams to find a place to ‘work’ and get started.”
Once they’ve passed their airport trial, the dogs have an airport ID affixed to their vest, which has “Therapy Dog, Pet Me” stitched onto the side. Some travelers are unsure at first if the dogs are service animals in training and won’t approach. Once the handlers explain it’s OK to pet the dogs, it’s mostly tail-wagging time and head scratches.
Dolezal’s standard poodle, Gunner, was the first dog to sign up for airport duty. “When Gunner gets to the airport, he’s like a 6-year-old kid going to Disneyland. It’s his happy place for sure,” Dolezal said.
“The program has been very well received,” echoed Shaw and Dolezal. There are 13 dogs of all sizes and breeds in the program. Besides the dogs getting attention, the handlers chat with travelers about their pets, traveling destinations and Central Oregon in general.
Research has shown that the simple action of petting a dog lowers the stress hormone cortisol in humans and increases levels of the feel-good hormone oxytocin, as well as lowering blood pressure. And the dogs enjoy the pets, too.
“We don’t have dogs on set dates just yet; it’s mostly one or two days a week,” said Shaw. The volunteer canine groups also visit the 911 call center, St. Charles facilities, public libraries, colleges and assisted living facilities in the region where they spread their “pawsitive” vibe and do doggone good work in Central Oregon.
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