'All your bad feelings go away': Dogs spread smiles at Stella's Circle

Bags of popcorn and fun-sized candy bars sit on a counter along with bacon Beggin' Strips treats for allat this therapy session.

"Dogs are cute, and it helps if you're having a bad day or a stressful day the dogs come and they make you feel better. Make you feel happy, glad," Madeline Tucker says.

She's one of the Stella's Circle members gathered with St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog program volunteers for their monthly visit on Friday. With the dogs dressed up for Halloween, this one wasa little special.

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Anything you're going through in life, come to this program, it will help.- MadelineTucker

Tucker was having a bad day that morning, but it turned around as soon as she entered the room at the Brian Martin Housing Resource Centre in St. John's.

"I've suffered from depression and anxiety so these dogs help, because it makes all your bad feelings go away," she said.

"Anything you're going through in life, come to this program, it will help. Because it helped me."

Halloween Therapy Dogs

7 years ago

Duration 1:46

St. John Ambulance Therapy Dogs get dressed up at Stellas Circle in St. Johns.

John Hines is another Stella's Circle member who comes to these sessions to help with his mental health.

"It's calmness, and dogs can sense when people are upset or when peoplethey have a sense that they know certain things, dogs can sense that people are hurt," said Hines.

He rarely misses a session.

"It controls a lot of anger because I go through a lot of rages, because I have problems controlling pain, and my right side is all metal," he said.

"So it's difficult, really difficult. I'm ADHD [attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder] and I'm extremely hyper, and for my age I shouldn't be.

"And the dogs are one way, and I get it through spiritual ministry as well."

Neither Tucker nor Hines canhave dogs where they currently live, but grew up with the furry friends and missthat sense of companionship.

'Sunshine and happiness'

Pamela Jones-Fitzgerald is the program and participant animator at Stella's Circle, connecting people with programs like this.

This is the only program some people will come to part of why she thinks it's so important.

"Most of the participants who are involved with programming at Stella's Circle, some of them have not had a good time with regards to their life," said Jones-Fitzgerald.

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"So whodoesn't need a bit of sunshine and happiness in their lives? And it's really important for participants when they come to Stella's Circle to feel a part of something."

She said members have relationships with the dogs and their owners, as the same volunteers come each month.

'Spreading smiles'

Jill Locke and her dog Maya are two of thoseregular St. John Ambulance volunteers.

"I love it. Every time we visit we say we're spreading smiles. You meet such great people, you hear stories," Locke said.

Locke said therapy dogs go through a temperament testing, "where they go through different scenarios that they might encounter on visits, nursing homes with wheelchairs, loud noises, etc."

After passing that, their handlers go through testing, supervised visits, and then they're on their own.

"All the dogs that come have something special to offer," she said. "They're all so affectionate and loving and they let someone smile for a moment. It's pretty special."