Life & Work with Roxanne Clark

Today we’d like to introduce you to Roxanne Clark.

Roxanne, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin? 
Mid-Michigan Therapy Dogs, Inc. (MMTD) was official formed in 2005 with 20-25 therapy dog teams. We have continued to grow over the years with now almost 200 certified therapy dog teams. We are a completely volunteer organization. We are not compensated for any of our visits or services that we provide. 

Therapy dogs are considered working dogs but not in the sense of the label “service dogs.” A service dog provides one-to-one services to a specific person. Examples of a service dog are a Leader Dogs (whose job is to be the eyes for a visionally impaired person), Medical Service Dogs (whose job may be to recognize a medical condition like diabetes, seizures, PTSD symptoms, etc.) and then to perform a “learned task” to assist their human “partner.” Their job is truly a one-on-one job to their “person.” 

A therapy dog is recognized by the American Kennel Club as a dog that has received and passed specific training and tested to perform their job. This working dog classification is not recognized with the same legal rights by the American Disability Act (ADA) as a true service dog. A certified therapy dog provides love, compassion, and comfort to any number of people in any number of environments. 

All MMTD dog teams have completed a 3-month certification class. Our dogs are our own personal dogs and members of our families. The handlers make the decision where is the best place(s) for their dogs to visit. Our human members come from academia, medical, first responders, and any other background that you can think of. The handlers will have some historic experiences where they have seen the benefits of a therapy dog interaction. 

MMTD dog teams are readily seen in local Medical Facilities like Medical Centers, Nursing homes, assisted living centers, memory care units, cancer centers, and medical practices. Our teams are also regular fixtures in our academic facilities. Ours teams regularly visit elementary through college-level facilities to aide in high-stress (like mid-term and finals), reading partners, and any level of care/aide that is requested. 

Our teams always include a certified handler and a certified therapy dog. MMTD teams can encompass all breeds of dogs. We have everything from teacup chihuahuas to Great Danes. The very small to the very large breeds. What they all have in common is they process the nature and temperament to give love. 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest challenge that we have is overcoming the stigma of what a therapy dog can or cannot do. Our dogs are our personal dogs. As certified teams, they truly work as a team. There is always a handler and a dog in our teams. 

There have been many situations where our organization has received requests for our services. We were a key presence after the horrific circumstances after the Oxford High School shooting. We have provided immediate responses to be present in schools and work environments where there are unexpected or difficult deaths of students, faculty, and/or employees. We have been requested to be present at funerals of people so that our dogs can provide a cold nose, a warm coat to pet, and a compassionate ear to listen to things that may be easier said to a dog than to another person. 

With all that said, our challenge is with the growing number of requests for us to fulfill all for the requests because many of our volunteers are employed and/or have regularly scheduled commitments. 

The need continues to grow. Some of our teams include dogs that are aging and must be protected from giving too much of themselves. Burnout is a real challenge. The good news is more teams come to us for certification and a desire to work. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
We are a totally volunteer organization. Our mission is to provide fur therapy to those that request our services. 

Any big plans?
MMTD continues to hold certification classes two (2) times a year. The classes are 3 months long. There is a class in the Fall and Spring. We will continue to hold these classes but interested people should go to our website, midmichigantherapydogs.com, for information and class registration early as our classes fill quickly. 

Our future plans are to continue to have certified therapy dog teams composed of a certified handler and a dog. We believe that it truly takes the team to provide the best experience for total success in a therapy dog visit. 

Contact Info:

• Website: midmichigantherapydog.com