A four-legged initiative involving therapy dogs helping stressed-out travelers is now a permanent program at Vancouver International Airport (YVR).
The Less Airport Stress Initiative (LASI) saw ambassador dogs from the St. John’s Ambulance Therapy Dog Program placed around the airport to help de-stress those who have troubles with air travel.
“The LASI program was started in 2017 and is an ever-evolving program,” said Eric Pateman, YVR’s chief experience officer.
“(We know) 75 per cent of people find airports incredibly stressful. It is also a huge staff piece for us … all I hear is (my colleagues) saying, ‘I saw some dogs at my lunchtime and I feel so much better.’”
The initiative was well received over the summer and has led to making the program full-time, all year long. Right now it is a five-day program but airport officials said they are working to make it seven days a week.
“These aren’t just ordinary dogs, they’re highly trained therapy dogs ready to provide emotional support and comfort to travellers experiencing anxiety associated with travel,” airport staff said in a release.
“Over the summer, they collectively dedicated approximately 174 hours to supporting passengers — that’s 174 hours of tail wags, friendly snuggles, and heartwarming moments, making your journey a pleasant experience.”
The St. John’s Ambulance Therapy Dog Program consists of more than 700 volunteer therapy dog teams. They are trained to provide emotional support, comfort and companionship.
The volunteer dogs keep quite busy, as they spend hundreds of hours at hospitals, seniors’ residences, schools, university campuses, and, of course, airports.
Global News has reached out to YVR for more information.
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