Volunteer spotlight: Emma and Chewie

Emma has taught Chewie some of the activities that we do with our Community Dogs and is continuing to develop these. The activities include:

• Hide and seek – as Chewie wasn't interested in finding a toy, Emma came up with the idea of hiding a treat in a fabric purse. Group participants take turns to hide the purse for Chewie to find, encouraging interaction with Chewie as he returns to the person to have the treat. We're also working on letting Chewie know whether he's 'warm or cold' when finding the treat, which will help to develop Chewie's understanding of the game and further encourage people in the group to communicate.
• Treat giving – in the beginning Chewie was quite focused on Emma for the walks, so she came up with the idea of giving each participant their own treat bag to encourage Chewie to share his focus with all group members. Emma has taught Chewie to sit and give a paw when treats are given, so those in the group are encouraged to communicate and enjoy building a relationship with Chewie.
• Cuddles and brushing – Chewie loves cuddle time with people, and this offers a therapeutic activity for those who take part in the group, something that they really enjoy.
• Treat trails - this involves Chewie walking along or jumping over a log when asked.

The people taking part in the group have told us that they really enjoy their walks with Emma and Chewie. They say they've grown in self-confidence to be out in their local area and enjoyed making friends. Some have said this is the only activity that they will leave home to attend all week.

Emma and Chewie have also taken on a befriending role for an individual in the community living at home with dementia. She is socially isolated, and Emma and Chewie provide companionship with a therapeutic element. The person they visit loves Chewie and enjoys stroking him, brushing him and playing games indoors. After a few visits, she was able to remember his name – an amazing result and a real reflection of the hard work of Emma and Chewie.

Emma and Chewie are currently undertaking shadow training, so they can visit care homes in Bracknell. This gives residents opportunity for engagement with Emma and Chewie, can help to improve wellbeing, promote conversations (often about past pet dogs and experiences), build friendships and encourage social interaction.

Volunteers like Emma running a visit or session has a wider impact on our work too, as it enables our Community Dogs to focus on more goal-based intervention work and increases the number of people we can reach.

We're always mindful to manage Chewie's schedule so that he has plenty of rest and days off in between his volunteering. We regularly observe him in sessions to make sure that he's happy and comfortable in the work that he's doing with Emma.

Emma also volunteers with us as a Temporary Boarder, providing a home away from home for Ned, one of our Community Dogs, when his handler is on holiday. For Emma, who's always wanted a second dog as a companion for Chewie but wasn’t sure about the commitment of having two dogs, this arrangement works perfectly.

We're so grateful to have Emma and Chewie working with us. They're a vital part of the team in Bracknell, are well-received by everybody they meet, and we can reach so many more people with them on board.