It’s amazing to see what the love of a dog can do.
When local pups Dougal and Bailey strap on their special vests as volunteers at Canines 4 Christ, they know it’s time to put that love to work.
“When they put on their vest, I think they kind of sense, ‘This is my time. I need to help I’m going to work and I need to help people,'” Debbie Chandler, a volunteer with Canines 4 Christ, told Hello Georgetown. “We’ve seen it time and time again…it is magical.”
Most times, Dougal and Bailey work in localized scenarios like memory care centers, schools and with hospice patients. They sit with individuals, allow people to pet them, and provide comfort in times of need. Most recently the dogs and their owners joined several other Canines 4 Christ therapy dog teams in Uvalde, TX to help those grieving and suffering following the tragic deaths of students and teachers.
“These dogs knew exactly what to do,” Debbie Chandler, a volunteer with Canines 4 Christ, told Hello Georgetown. “Terry and I didn’t really have to do anything. We were probably a little bit overwhelmed with grief ourselves, seeing these children like this, but our dogs knew exactly what to do.”
In one instance, the dogs calmly sat with a little girl who petted them while speaking with a counselor, in another, they offered gentle puppy kisses to a teacher.
“They seemed to know the people that needed [them],” Boccella said.
Their trips to Uvalde, TX emphasized why Chandler and Bocella joined Canines 4 Christ in the first place: to bring comfort and love to others.
“I was thinking, how can I be involved with my dog, and can it possibly be faith based,” Chandler said, a Volunteer for Canines 4 Christ, told Hello Georgetown. A brief internet search connected her to just the program she was looking for.
“Canines for Christ is an international Christian-based, animal-assisted therapy ministry that uses ordinary people and their beloved dogs to share God’s message of love, hope, kindness, and compassion to the community,” according to the organization’s website. “Our mission is letting Christ’s love shine through us and our canines as His disciples when we visit people who need love, hope, and compassion that only God’s message can provide. We want them to know that God loves them. Millions of people have been touched by this saving message as we bring God’s light of love into the darkness.”
Getting certified is simple. In order to become volunteers for the organization, Dougal and Bailey both had to
pass the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen test, and apply to the Canines 4 Christ organization. Most of all, they love people.
“The most important thing I think about a therapy dog is just the love of people,” Chandler said. “It’s not how perfect they are. No dog is gonna be perfect, but they need to love people, in my mind.
Both dogs love their jobs, Chandler and Boccella said, and it’s amazing to see just how powerful the love of a dog is, and they’d love to increase the work they do in Georgetown, TX and surrounding communities. Anyone who would like Dougal and Bailey to come visit, or who would like to learn more about getting certified through Canines 4 Christ, can reach out to debchan@me.com or mtboccella@gmail.com.
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