Dear Georgia: As a new C.A.T. Dog Volunteer, what should my dog and I expect on our first visit to our assigned facility? - Nervous Nelly

Dear Nervous: First, let me thank you and your dog for volunteering.  Pet Therapy is a very important part of the social life and rehabilitation to many patients and residents of nursing facilities and all of us at Canine Assisted Therapy "thank you".

As a C.A.T. Volunteer Team, you will be accompanied by a member of the C.A.T. staff on your first visit to a facility.  We understand the feeling of being nervous and not knowing exactly what to expect.  It is perfectly normal for your dog to be nervous and/or excited.  It is, afterall, a new environment and experience for your dog too.  If your dog is acting high strung or overly excited, just hang around in the lobby or a relatively quite place until they calm down.  This may take only a few minutes or it may take longer.  Don't start the visit until your dog has settled.  If your dog can't seem to calm down or if it has taken a very long time, it is O.K. to leave and come back another day.  It is much better to have your dog leave with positive feelings than to push a little too hard and make them aprehensive to return. Remember to be calm yourself because your anxiety will travel right down the leash into your dog.

We set up an initial meeting with you and the Activity Director or the person in charge of volunteers so that you have a contact at the facility.  We then take you and your dog through the facility and let you both get familiar with the surroundings and the residents or patients.  We also make sure that all of the rules for the facility are covered with you such as whether or not the dogs are allowed on a bed if they are invited or which areas are off limits to dogs. We do our best to point out the body language of patients that may not be want to have a dog visit or may be frightened of the dog.

A very important part of the first visit is for us to help you to "tune in" to signals from your dog that he or she has had enough love and attention for the day indicating that the visit should end.

We do our best to take the necessary time with you on this first visit to make sure that your questions and concerns are answered and you are comfortable enough for the next visit to be unaccompanied.   After you have visited the facility two more times on your own, a C.A.T. staff member comes with you one more time to make sure that you and your dog are comfortable and happy in the facility. - Georgia 

Email your questions to DearGeorgia@catdogs.org

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Make sure your dog is very clean and well groomed before going to any facility.  Dogs can carry dirt, dust, pollen and many other substances on their coats which can be harmful to patients.  People love to pet a clean dog, and many actually bury their faces in the dog's fur or hair.  Remember too, that many of the people in nursing facilities cannot wash their hands immediately after petting your dog.  Being clean is critical to not only the health of the patients that we serve, but to the dogs as well. 

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