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Most visitors to Centreville love the small town vibe and the friendly people. Jolene and Josie are no different. While they may not look like your typical visitors, they still enjoy visiting Centreville and spending a few minutes with all of the friendly people they run into. Jolene and Josie love to walk around the Bibb Medical Center campus and the BMC Wellness Center walking track. They also like to walk around the court house area on the other side of the river.
Jolene and Josie are Golden Retrievers and half sisters. In addition to being pets, these two girls also serve as therapy dogs for Canines for Christ, a non-profit, 501(c)(3) therapy dog ministry. To become a therapy dog with Canines for Christ, dogs must pass the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen test, pass a separate Canines for Christ temperament test and be at least one year old.
Therapy dogs are different from service dogs you may have seen helping their owners. Instead of helping their owners, therapy dogs are trained to help others whether it be in a hospital or nursing home or a chance meeting on the walking track or sidewalk. Usually the help the therapy dog provides is simply a smile and a tail wag when someone gently runs their ears.
Many in the medical profession believe that patients benefit when a therapy dog helps bring a few moments of happiness to someone who is confined to a hospital bed or just depressed. These moments of happiness can help the person deal with their situation and give them hope for a better tomorrow. For people just out walking, interacting with a therapy dog can bring calmness and awareness.
Dogs live in the present moment, and they help all of us realize that all any of us really have are present moments. They show us that we need to release the past and stop worrying about the future. And they show us this with a big, friendly smile and soft, warm eyes.
Woody Allen famously said, “Ninety percent of life is showing up.” For Canines for Christ therapy dogs, showing up IS their life. Simply by showing up, Canines for Christ therapy dogs bring the message of God’s love, hope, kindness and compassion to people in need and remind us to live in the present moment.
You can find more pictures of Jolene and Josie at www.instagram.com/jolene.therapy.dog/.
You can find more information about Canines for Christ at www.k9forchrist.org.
