Introduction

Being a therapy dog handler requires giving attention to the welfare of your canine PAWtner (partner) as well as to program participants during your visit. Your therapy dog will no doubt be the centre of attention in almost all of your interactions, and rightfully so! Dogs seem to be gifted in providing people with unconditional and non-judgmental comfort and support, and offering people exactly what they seem to need at the time. There are, however, important ways that you as a therapy dog handler can help ensure the people you meet during your visits will have the best possible therapy dog visit. You and your dog will interact with people with many different experiences and needs based on their personal characteristics, such as their sex, gender identity, ethnicity or cultural background, sexual orientation, social class, ability, religious or spiritual background, age, nationality, and more! Your ability to positively contribute to a participant’s therapy dog visiting experience will depend on how well you can connect with them and help them feel comfortable during the visit.

The first section of this module highlights the importance for handlers to avoid making assumptions about the people they are visiting with based on stereotypes, and in place trying to “consider the participants’ experiences” to inform your interactions. Considering others’ experiences should be based on knowledge as well as empathy and compassion, and as a therapy dog handler, we know you have a ton of these important personal qualities!

The Significance of Standpoint and Stereotypes

Suggesting that therapy dog handlers consider the experiences of the people they visit with does not mean a handler should – or could – ever experience what it is like to be from social groups other than their own. Considering the standpoint of another individual means being aware of how characteristics like our sex, gender, ethnicity, and social class can influence our life experiences. As a society, we are (thankfully) becoming more aware of how intolerant attitudes contribute to discriminatory treatment, and how racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia (just to name a few) can negatively influence a persons’ life experiences and opportunities. Not familiar with all of these terms? No worries, there are more definitions to come later in the module.

Participants you encounter in the therapy dog program may have direct experiences with intolerant attitudes and discriminatory behavior because of negative stereotypes. Stereotypes are widely recognized assumptions that are commonly made about people based on the groups they belong to. For example, stereotypes can be based around a person’s sex, ethnicity, or sexual orientation, as well as other characteristics like someone’s occupation, personal accomplishments, or level of education. While stereotypes can be positive – such as the stereotype of the kind, caring, and talented St. John Ambulance therapy dog handler – they can also be negative.

Negative stereotypes oftentimes lead to stigmatization. Stigmatization is a process where more powerful social groups use stereotypes about less powerful groups to discredit their humanity and blame them for the discriminatory treatment they experience (Fudge Schormans, 2014). For example, racial stereotypes characterizing non-European cultures as less intelligent and uncivilized were created to justify colonization and slavery and, to this day, remain in use to ‘explain’ the over-representation of Indigenous and Black populations in prison. There are common stereotypes today centered around individuals who do not conform with dominant (albeit unfair) norms and expectations in society, such as people who identify as transgender, people diagnosed with a substance use disorder, or people that do not have permanent employment or housing. Stigmatization can also be internalized by individuals and occur within a stigmatized group (Major and O’Brien, 2005).

As another example to think through stigmatization, stereotypes can lead to discriminatory treatment against some dogs. There are stereotypes suggesting that certain breeds of dogs are naturally prone to aggression, are unpredictable, and pose a risk to children. These stereotypes have inspired movements to outlaw the ownership of Pitbull, Doberman and Rottweiler dogs – even though there is an absence of evidence that these breeds pose a greater danger compared to any other dog breed. Remember from the introductory module that any breed and size of dog can be a potential therapy dog!

Harms

Negative stereotypes can cause people harm, including to their physical and mental health. Research evidence shows us that stigmatization contributes to some people being provided inferior healthcare services (Drabish and Theek, 2022, Kennedy et. al., 2017), others experiencing higher incidents of disease (Government of Canada, 2019; Stangl et. al., 2019), and can impede people who are fearful of being treated poorly to access health care when in need (Whitehead et. al., 2016, Merino et. al., 2018). Consider a recent review of the treatment of Indigenous peoples in British Columbia’s health care system; it concluded there is widespread systemic racism and discrimination (Provincial Government of BC, 2021). The report shares that “[t]his racism results in a range of negative impacts, harms, and even death”. (6). Consider another troubling example, a 2022 statement from the Mental Health Commission of Canada that shares: “People with lived experiences of mental health and addiction problems often report feeling devalued, dismissed and dehumanized by many of the healthcare professionals with whom they come into contact”. Negative stereotypes and stigmatization are an unfortunate reality in our society and can have disastrous consequences.

Given that the very purpose of a therapy dog program is to help participants feel valued, heard, and experience a connection with your dog, exposing them to biased treatment based in stereotypical assumptions is the very last thing we want to do. To prevent this from happening, we need to make sure as handlers we are as aware and educated as possible.

One unfortunate reality about making assumptions, is that we all do it on a daily basis. When we encounter people or groups we are not familiar with, the human mind automatically thinks about all the information we have collected throughout our lives – including stereotypes – to guide how we should act. As a really simple illustration, let’s say that you were bitten by a standard poodle breed dog when you were a young child, and if you were not educated about what happened in that scenario, to this day as an adult you may stereotype all poodles as vicious dogs and be fearful of them all.

As a therapy dog handler, it is important to be aware of the harms stereotypes can cause and be mindful of how our own assumptions can negatively influence our interaction with someone. This is where considering the standpoint of the people we visit with is important, and this includes discriminatory treatment they have encountered in their lives. That said, you should not be too hard on yourself when making oversights or mistakes – just as using assumptions to guide our conduct is innately human, so too is learning from our mis-steps and allowing them to inform our behavior moving forward. As the following story from St. John therapy dog handler Jane Smith shows us, reflecting on and learning from incorrect assumptions you make about therapy dog program participants can allow for greater personal awareness and improve relationships with those you will be visiting in the future!

Handler Story (Murphy and Jane Smith)

Please watch the following video.

Written content and video by Jane Smith

Challenging Stereotypes with Compassion and Respect

Murphy and Jane’s recollections do not only demonstrate how a handler can broaden their horizons by humbly reflecting on their mis-steps, but also that the people we visit with and who have a great deal of experience with being stereotyped can experience profound benefits when treated with compassion and respect. As you heard, Jane and therapy dog Murphy had a profound positive impact on individual’s lives. Likewise, Anna-Belle the therapy dog and team member Colleen Dell witnessed this first-hand when they pilot-tested how therapy dog visits could assist clients in an Opioid Assisted Recovery Program. Anna-Belle developed a particularly strong bond with a therapy dog program participant identified as ‘Cora’ (not her real name). This article was written about their visits together, and according to Anna-Belle (as interpreted through Colleen):

Anna-Belle and Colleen found that treating Cora with compassion and respect helped her in her recovery program, and that allowing Cora safe and sensitive interactions free of judgment motivated her to continue her recovery after her program was complete. Anna-Belle and Colleen, and other therapy dog teams, also visited maximum-security prisoners with similar results; they witnessed that treating prisoners as human beings deserving of compassion and providing non-judgmental interactions with therapy dog teams had profound positive effects. This is demonstrated in a letter that Anna-Belle and Colleen received from one of the therapy dog program participants:

Figure 2-2:Source: Dell, C.A., Chalmers, D., & Goodfellow, H. (2019). Animal Memories, page 19. Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan.

Recognizing Diversity: Strategies for Meaningful Interactions

If we do our best to avoid letting assumptions based in stereotypes influence our interactions with therapy dog program participants, this can be a significant step toward allowing them to make meaningful connections with our dogs. There are additional considerations handlers visiting with diverse populations alongside their therapy dogs can keep in mind to assist with this, and include practicing awareness, sensitivity, safety (or responsiveness), humility, and competence.

Awareness is related to how much knowledge you have about the beliefs, experiences, and needs of the individuals you are visiting with. Consider, for example, that you and your therapy dog are visiting an organization that provides shelter to a recently arrived refugee population displaced by war. Ways you could improve your awareness include learning about where the individuals are from, the specific conflict they have been displaced by, and the cultural role of dogs in their home country.

Sensitivity is related to how well your interactions reflect an understanding and appreciation of the beliefs, values, and needs of a distinct population. Taking our example above further, given that you will likely be interacting with individuals who have recently experienced significant trauma (warfare and displacement), you could ensure sensitivity by holding back questions about the conflict that displaced them, such as what they witnessed and how they escaped. You may also choose not to ask questions about pets they may have had, in case they had to leave them behind.

Safety (or responsiveness) is related to how well your interactions align with the beliefs and practices that are significant to the group you are visiting with. Using the same example, if you observe that the shelter has a space dedicated for Salah (the five daily prayers of Islamic religious practice) it would coincide with safety and responsiveness to ensure your therapy dog stays away from this area. According to Islamic faith, dogs are forbidden from being in areas dedicated to religious practice and disrespecting this principle would severely undermine the effectiveness of your visit.

Humility is related to how well your interactions with therapy dog program participants reflect your awareness that your knowledge can always expand and your willingness to let individuals educate you. It would be consistent with humility to admit that you do not know a lot about Islamic perspectives on dogs and religious practices, and request to be enlightened. Empowering therapy dog program participants to take the role of educator can benefit their therapy dog experience, as well as improve your awareness about groups you may be less familiar with.

Finally, competence is related to how effective your interactions will be given the specific beliefs, values, and needs of the individuals you are visiting with. Given common Islamic religious perspectives that Muslims should not interact with dogs prior to and during religious engagements, it may be a good idea to ensure you and your therapy dog avoid visiting the organization during the times associated with Salah.

Program Participant Perspectives (Speaker – Nancy Poole)

The following presentation by Nancy Poole touches on ways to be mindful of diversity and interact with therapy dog program participants based on the principles of awareness, sensitivity, humility, competence, and safety or responsiveness. Nancy discusses strategies to help us make sure that our therapy dog visits are gender informed and culturally safe. Nancy elaborates on how perspectives on gender are evolving, including terms, and how to communicate with individuals in gender sensitive ways. She also discusses cultural safety, focusing on the importance of cultural awareness for Indigenous populations and how providing culturally sensitive interactions coincides with efforts at reconciliation and decolonization (check out the glossary for this module if you need a refresher on the meaning of some of these terms). Nancy’s presentation concludes with an activity to get you thinking about how you may want to interact with therapy dog program participants in ways that recognize and respect diversity.

In this first video, Nancy reviews some considerations that should be kept in mind as we reflect on the diversity of our therapy dog program participants. Please be aware that there are some infrequent issues with the video’s audio – our team has learned that, while dogs make fantastic therapy program partners, they are not great at media production. Our apologies!

Being Gender Inclusive

In the next video, Nancy discusses how these considerations related to diversity are relevant to providing gender-informed interactions with therapy dog program participants.

Nancy’s overview of terms commonly used to discuss gender and gender identity may be a touch intimidating if you are being introduced to these words for the first time. The following list of terms (Source: Women and Gender Equality Canada, 2022) will hopefully assist you to become more familiar with forms of gender identity, as well as assist you with the activity that follows. It is important to keep in mind too that some individuals prefer terms different than those provided here, but this chart should give you a good start on expanding your awareness of gender sensitive language!

• Gender Identity: Internal and deeply felt sense of being a man or woman, both, or neither. A person’s gender identity may or may not align with the gender typically associated with their sex. It may change over the course of someone’s lifetime.
• Gender Expression: The various ways in which people choose to express their gender identity. For example: clothes, voice, hair, make-up, etc. A person’s gender expression may not align with societal expectations of gender. It is therefore not a reliable indicator of a person’s gender identity.
• Non-Binary: Referring to a person whose gender identity does not align with a binary understanding of gender such as man or woman. It is a gender identity which may include man and woman, androgynous, fluid, multiple, no gender, or a different gender outside of the “woman—man” spectrum (e.g., Genderqueer).
• Gender Fluid: A person whose gender identity varies over time and may include male, female, and non-binary gender identities.
• LGBTQ2: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Two-Spirit. This is the acronym used by the Government of Canada to refer to the Canadian community.
• Transgender: A person whose gender identity differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth.
• Two-Spirit: An English term used to broadly capture concepts traditional to many Indigenous cultures. It is a culturally-specific identity used by some Indigenous people to indicate a person whose gender identity, spiritual identity, and/or sexual orientation comprises both male and female spirits.
• Cisgender: A person who identifies with the gender they were assigned at birth.
• Questioning: A person who is uncertain about their sexual orientation and/or gender identity; this can be a transitory or a lasting identity.

Promoting Cultural Safety

In the next video Nancy discusses the importance of considering the cultural backgrounds of the individuals that you and your therapy dog are visiting. Here, Nancy pays particular attention to the concepts of cultural humility and cultural safety.

Nancy’s discussion about the importance of providing culturally safe therapy dog visits is of particular significance when interacting with Indigenous populations, including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. This is due to the horrific legacy that colonialism has had upon Indigenous cultures throughout North America and elsewhere across the globe, and the continuing negative impact of colonization upon Indigenous peoples’ health and welfare (as was introduced above in discussing stereotypes and stigmatization).

Colonialism is understood as one group of people taking control over another. Consider that “[b]y 1914, a large majority of the world’s nations had been colonized by Europeans at some point” (Blakemore, 2019). In Canada, key colonizing acts include the passage of the Indian Act and the residential school system, which were designed to force Indigenous populations to assimilate into the dominant settler culture. For example, the Indian Act prohibited Indigenous communities from participating in traditional cultural practices and forbid their involvement with political organization (Joseph, 2016), and Indigenous students in residential schools were physically abused for using their traditional languages (Judd, 2021). The attempted destruction of Indigenous peoples’ culture, values, language, and traditions is a horrendous part of Canada’s history.

The release of findings from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission investigation into Canada’s residential school system have led to overwhelming demands that Canada provide opportunities for decolonization and reconciliation with Indigenous populations. Let’s define these two terms:

• Decolonization “requires non-Indigenous Canadians to recognize and accept the reality of Canada’s colonial history, accept how that history paralyzed Indigenous Peoples, and how it continues to subjugate Indigenous Peoples. Decolonization requires non-Indigenous individuals, governments, institutions and organizations to create the space and support for Indigenous Peoples to reclaim all that was taken from them.” (Indigenous Corporate Training Inc., 2022).
• Reconciliation refers to a process through which Indigenous populations and Canadians “[engage] in dialogue that revitalizes the relationships between Indigenous people and all Canadians in order to build vibrant, resilient and sustainable communities” (Reconciliation Canada, 2022).

Both decolonization and reconciliation centre around empowering Indigenous peoples to revitalize the traditions and ways of understanding the world that colonialism sought to extinguish, and form relationships with Canada that are based around equality and mutual respect. One crucial element of both decolonization and reconciliation is greater public awareness and education. The emergence of the Every Child Matters movement and declaration of September 30^th as Orange Shirt Day in Canada is one example of the intention to draw greater public awareness to the violence inflicted on Indigenous residential school students. For more information, you can visit the Every Child Matters Educational Package. Given Nancy’s presentation, it would be fair to say that providing interactions based in cultural humility and ensuring cultural safety coincide closely with the goals of decolonization and reconciliation.

Here, we provide a reflection on an Indigenous way of knowing the world, and specific to the significant role animals play in life, as prepared by traditional Indigenous knowledge advocate Larry J. Laliberte. (Click to move through the 4 pages of the PDF.)

Traditional Indigenous Knowledge - Animism

Source: Permission: Courtesy of Larry J. Laliberte, Traditional Indigenous Knowledge Advocate, as prepared for the One Health & Wellness Office.

Common Approaches & Strategies

Nancy’s final video discusses strategies you can use to help ensure your interactions with therapy dog program participants are gender-informed and align with cultural humility and safety.