Local comfort dog brings love after traumas
Although scientists have discovered that hormones responsible for happiness increase when people interact with animals, it doesn't take scientific studies for dog lovers to know their four-legged friends give them pleasure.
And as valuable as that unconditional love is, comfort dogs provide comfort to hundreds, if not thousands, of people after traumatic events.
There are differences between comfort dogs, service dogs, therapy dogs and emotional support dogs.
Service dogs are trained to do work or perform specific tasks for people with disabilities. They receive training based on the needs of the person they will serve.
The gentle nature of therapy dogs brings happiness to places like hospitals and nursing homes.
Emotional support dogs provide essential emotional aid by their presence. These dogs may or may not receive special training.
Comfort dogs (also called crisis response dogs) work in the aftermath of emergency situations. Adeena, a golden retriever, is one such comfort dog living in the far Northwestern suburbs.
Becoming a comfort dog is not quick or easy. Puppies are chosen based on their temperament and may begin training when they are just 8 weeks old. Two thousand hours of training later, they are ready to be assigned to primary caretakers.
Adeena's life mission of comfort began shortly after birth. Her training took place in the since-shuttered Dwight Correctional Center. Inmates who passed a screening process were required to complete many hours of coursework and training by professionals before they were ready to begin working with Adeena. Imagine the sense of purpose she must have provided those individuals as they trained her.
Comfort dogs are usually owned by community or government organizations. Adeena is owned by St. John's Lutheran Church in Burlington. After the church voted unanimously to pay $10,000 to Lutheran Church Charities for a comfort dog, they had to wait until Adeena's training was complete before she arrived in December 2010.
Although comfort dogs may be a variety of breeds, LLC relies on the gentle nature of golden retrievers. They not only require complete training of the dogs, but also of the caregivers with whom they reside.
Adeena's primary caregivers are Shar and Dave Farran. The couple follows the strict training they received, including that rules and commands must be consistent for Adeena.
"She is not allowed in the kitchen while we are cooking or eating," Shar Farran said, "and she must get permission to enter any room. Adeena is also not allowed to get treats or eat human food."
Despite the special rules, the Farrans adore Adeena and give her lots of love.
Comfort dogs only go where they are invited, and back in 2010, Adeena's requests were few and far between. Her initial outings were to places like local libraries and the fire department. But in 2011, she was deployed to her first disaster when a tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri.
Later, she lent comfort to students and teachers after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012.
Today, Adeena attends 25 to 35 events every month, all in the local area. Besides her weekly trips to the library and every other week to the lunchrooms at area high schools, she also pays regular visits to facilities that serve adults with disabilities and assisted-living and memory care residences.
She recently comforted students and teachers at Sycamore High School following the sudden death of a student and his mother.
"Adeena truly loves everyone she meets and is a wonderful resource for the community," Shar Farran said. "She is ready to provide comfort for anything from funerals to floods and any natural or man-made disaster."
If you have an upcoming event that might benefit from Adeena's comfort training, contact St. John's Lutheran Church at (847) 683-2338.
• Diana Stoll is the Practice Manager at Red Barn Animal Hospital with locations in Hampshire and Gilberts. Visit redbarnpetvet.com, or call (847) 683-4788 (Hampshire) or (847) 422-1000 (Gilberts).