Amy Jordan says her dog Selkie has always been a bit of a 鈥済randma.鈥�  

鈥淪he's pretty laid back and easy going,鈥� said the Williams Lake based veterinarian about her four-year old dog.  

After years of wanting to work with a therapy dog, Jordan realized over the COVID-19 pandemic she had the perfect dog for the job, and it was time to give it a try.  

Not to be confused with service dogs, a therapy dog鈥檚 role is simply to 鈥渂ring a moment of joy to someone's day.鈥� 

鈥淪he is wonderful for people who are a little timid or who aren't quite comfortable, because she does move slower,鈥� Jordan said.  

Selkie鈥檚 calm, gentle nature may be unusual for her breed 鈥� Nova Scotia duck tolling retrievers are generally known to be high-energy dogs.  

鈥淚 actually have a hard time getting her to play,鈥� Jordan said. But there鈥檚 no doubt she loves people, most noticeable when a visit to the dog park means an opportunity for her to socialize with other humans, rather than dogs.  

鈥淪he will run across the dog park to see the group of people and try and avoid the dogs to go say hi to them,鈥� Jordan said.  

Selkie and Jordan have been certified with the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program for two years, and they鈥檝e been visiting the Williams Lake Senior鈥檚 Village for almost as long.  

"You can tell that some of them wait all week to give her a pet,鈥� Jordan said about the folks they visit. Each visit includes a greeting with the receptionists before Selkie leads the pair from room to room as she鈥檚 come to know the routine of the visit.  

Sometimes, Jordan explained, Selkie will be really excited to see someone. Other times, she鈥檒l recognize they may not be feeling well and she鈥檒l simply lay with them. 

鈥淪he鈥檚 100 per cent a different dog for each person and also for how they're feeling,鈥� Jordan said. 鈥淪he tends to really read the room.鈥�  

Jordan said tollers are known to be friendly, but aloof, and this characteristic shines through at times. Selkie may be motivated by people, but her social battery does run out, and she also has her boundaries. But she has another motivating factor: food.  

鈥淚f there's something on the floor and she's on the bed, she'll sometimes hang her head over the bed and stare at the cookie on the ground...and I鈥檓 like 鈥榦h God,鈥� Jordan said. 鈥淏ut, you know, I always remind myself that she's just there to make people happy, so I think she does a pretty good job.鈥� 

Jordan and Selkie are a team, which means Jordan sometimes has to lead the way.  

鈥淪he鈥檚 not in your face...so sometimes I tease her and tell her that I have to do a lot of the heavy lifting, you know, she's present and she's there, but I've got to kind of keep the visit going.鈥� 

Jordan said this has helped her learn to build relationships and connect with people in ways she鈥檚 never had to before. Some of the visits are with seniors who struggle to communicate, and at first Jordan was worried it would be difficult. 

鈥淵ou kind of learn how to...listen and slow down, you know, we're always in such a rush to make conversation or say stuff and it's the opposite there.鈥� 

One man, she said, would never even make eye contact or acknowledge them for the first few weeks.  

鈥淎nd then I sat down one day, and he just started to speak to us, you know, and, and then respond to the dog and it was something that he really, really looked forward to every week.鈥� 

Now, the staff tell Jordan Selkie鈥檚 visits are the happiest time for him.  

鈥淪he鈥檚 fantastic with the residents,鈥� said Vickie Kornelsen, therapeutic recreation manager with Seniors' Village, about Jordan.  

Earlier on, Kornelsen said she was going to send Jordan and Selkie to work in a different unit in the building. But the pair had already built strong relationships with the residents and wanted to continue where they were at. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity for them (the residents) to not only pet the dog but to meet someone so kind,鈥� said Vickie Kornelsen. 

Along with visiting seniors, Jordan is hoping to expand their work into schools. They also participate in agility competitions here and there, but Jordan said Selkie is just a bit too laid back for them, sometimes choosing to sniff around rather than focus on the task.  

Selkie and Jordan are not the only pair in town bringing animal therapy to those in need. In fact, Jordan said there鈥檚 a whole team of dogs and trainers, each of whom bring something different to the job. They all work under Karen Wright, who helps facilitate the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog program in the South Cariboo.