HELENA — If you have a well-behaved dog, there are a lot of options to help give back. Representatives from Helena’s local chapter of Intermountain Therapy Animals want more volunteers so they can help more people.
Bryant Elementary School Principal Tia Wilkins loves dogs in her school.
“It brings so much joy and it’s so fun to walk the hallways when therapy dogs are in the building. And you see kids kinda skipping and stopping for a hug,” says Wilkins.
The dogs set the mood for the rest of the day for the kids. If they’ve had a hard morning or night, that all seems to melt away when they see the animals.
“We’re always looking for volunteers in our program and the community really needs a lot we’ve found. Especially in our schools. And what you’d do to become a volunteer is you’d have to have a pet that is interested in people, that loves people,” says ITA facilities coordinator Wendy Sesselman. “We have a waiting list with the schools right now. We have a waiting list for some of the assisted living facilities. So if we could get more people out there in the community and it’s a wonderful experience. It’s wonderful for the dogs, we enjoy it, and it does. It just brings joy to everyone. And that’s what we like about it.”
(Hear what makes for a good volunteer)
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