LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KATV) — As Memorial Day weekend approaches, Clinton National Airport is showcasing its therapy dog program, featuring Billy Joe, a 3-year-old English Pointer mix. Known for his calming presence, Billy Joe is part of the Bow Wow Buddies Pet Therapy Program, designed to bring comfort to travelers.
“I mean dogs are special,” Nancy Rowan, a therapy dog handler with Central Arkansas Pet Partners. “I have never seen a person that my dog hasn’t loved and they will just cuddle up to them and just stay there and be still and let people pet on him, hug on him.”
Rowan explained the impact of the program. “It is amazing here at the airport because people are either saying to me, ‘I just left my dog,’ or ‘I am about to go home to my dog,'” she said.
Shane Carter, the airport’s director of public affairs and governmental relations, praised the volunteers who make the program possible. “Whether it’s bad weather, whether we have a Make-A-Wish family that is flying out, or if we are just having a busy day and we need them in the terminal- we give them a call and they drop what they are doing and come to the airport,” he said.
Travelers can also collect trading cards of the therapy dogs, available from handlers at the airport. Those interested in joining the Bow Wow Buddies Pet Therapy Program can find more information here.
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