St. John Ambulance Therapy Dogs
64 Colborne Street East L1G1L9 Oshawa, ON, Canada

Our friends at the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program recently ran the "Staying Cool This Summer" Contest. Check out some of our favourite entries that stole the judges hearts!

Walking your pup while maintaining social distancing is a great idea as well. Watch out for hot pavement and ensure that you dont leave your pet in the car for ANY length of time. Evenings and early mornings are a great time to get out and avoid the daytime heat. Make sure you bring water with you to stay hydrated. Stay safe!

St. John Ambulance Training Centres to resume operations, with your safety in mind. #SJA Ontario has been given the go ahead to resume in-person training. Click... here to learn the full details of our reopening plans, along with the health and safety guidelines we will be following: https://bit.ly/2ZnlSdB #SavingLives #FirstAid See more

Holly: 2, 3, 4, 5 Joey: 6

Dont let the sun put a damper on your start to the summer. Protect yourself from #sunburn and learn how to treat it!

Smoky was found in a foxhole in New Guinea in Feb 1944. The American thought she must have been a Japanese soldiers dog, but when he took her to a POW camp, th...ey found out she didnt understand commands in Japanese of English. The soldier sold Smoky to Cpl. William Wynne of Cleveland OH for 2 dollars Australian. Over the next two years Wynne carried Smoky in his backpack, fought in the jungles of Rock Island and New Guinea, flew 12 air/sea rescue, She survived 150 air raids on New Guinea and made it through a typhoon at Okinawa, made a combat jump in Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, in a parachute made for her. She would warn G.Is of incoming artillery and was dubbed the "angel from a foxhole." Early in retaking the Philippines combat engineers were setting up a telegraph line to an airfield. The joints collapsed filling them in with sand. Cpl. Wynne knew that Smoky could climb through the pipe with a new line and that is what she did. Smokys work saved approximately 250 ground crewmen from having to move around and keep operational 40 fighters and reconnaissance planes, while a construction detail dug up the taxiway, placing the men and the planes in danger from enemy bombings. What would have been a dangerous three-day digging task to place the wire was instead completed in minutes. In her down time she preformed tricks with the Special Services to improve the moral of the troops and visited hospitals in Australia and Korea. Visiting with the sick and wounded, she became the first recorded "therapy dog". After the war she became a sensation back int the states, had a live TV show, and often visited Veterans hospitals. Smokys work as a therapy dog continued for 12 years. Wynne had Smokey 14 years before she passed away. He buried her in a 30 caliber ammo box in Rocky River Reservation, Ohio. Smoky, the smallest war hero weighing in at 4 lbs even and standing 7 inches tall. Pictures copyrighted by William A. Wynne (1996) and used by permission. Read the book "Yorkie Doodle Dandy" (1996) by William Wynne!

Thanking our First Responders...

Theres something relatable about this...

Bella is a 10yr old Great Dane rescue. As much as she loves making a difference in the Port Perry area, she does like to snuggle on the couch.

In celebration of our volunteers this week we would like to thank all our St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog volunteers for their passion, dedication and hard work.... By sharing your dog, your time and your talent you have given our organization a precious gift. Thank you for making a difference one visit at a time. See more

As all Canadians navigate their way through the current COVID-19 pandemic, many find themselves at home due to recommended social/physical distancing. While iso...lating at home, it is important to still feel connected. Why not try a free online #FirstAid course offered by St. John Ambulance Ontario? For a limited time only, #SJA is pleased to provide the online course entitled First Aid Awareness, offered free of charge (valued at $14.95), but only until May 31, 2020. Learn more here: https://ont.sjatraining.ca/RegisterFAA.php

A very 8th Happy Birthday goes out to one of our Therapy Dogs, Wally. Hes missing his visits to Ballycliff, Ontario Shores, and the many universities, colleges, and high schools. Hes got many new treats and toys to celebrate the day!!

We at St John Ambulance Durham Region, want to wish a VERY Happy 11th Birthday to our sweet Miss Carly! She is missing volunteering & visiting our friends at Lakeview Manor Adult Day Program @ Port Perry Hospital, so she is partying and snuggling with her friends at Home

Did you know that there is a proper way to remove gloves?#flattenthecurve

In these days of social distancing... we bring the dogs to you, digitally!!!

A bit late posting this, but this was a fun visit with the students of Durham College @ UoiT. The visit happened on March 12, 2020. The visiting dogs were Riley, Abby, and Wally.

In an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19, all Therapy Dog visits are suspended until at least April 6, 2020. This will include universities, colleges, schools, and nursing homes (which have already been restricted by the Ministry of Health). Please, stay safe, practice social distancing and wash your hands!

Another great visit at Ontario Shores with Kylie and Riley!!!

A fun visit at the Residences at UoiT tonight. The visiting dogs were Stella, Deeli and Riley.

Its always a sad day when one of our dogs retires. Cinnabon is an amazing 9 year old Rough Collie/Sheppard cross that has been with St. John Ambulance Therapy Dogs since 2016. Her handler will still be a part of our organization, serving as a mentor and trainer to many of our newer participants. We wish them both well.

Another fun visit with the participants at the Abilities Centre. The visiting dogs were Wally and Cinnabon.

A great visit today at the Abilities Centre with Abby and Wally.

Show us your valentine

Molly is almost 7 years old and has been part of my life since she was 10 weeks old. She was the last pup in a litter of Shitzus and I knew she was special from the moment I saw her. Molly has been a St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog since 2016 and loves visiting her friends at two retirement homes in Port Perry. As well, Molly comes with me to Community Care where I volunteer every Tuesday morning. When we get there she runs from office to office greeting all the staff. We a...lso drive a client of Community Care to an Adult Day Care every week and she sits on the clients lap all the way there getting hugs.both the client and Molly love this! Molly and I, as well as several other Therapy Dogs and their handlers were 2019 Mayors Honour Roll Recipients for our volunteer contributions. Molly has a sistera cat named Maggie and they run around playing a lot and they sleep together.good pals! See more

On Bell Lets Talk Day, Bell will donate 5 cents to Canadian mental health programs for each of the following interactions at no extra cost to participants beyond what they would normally pay their service provider for online or phone access: Twitter: Every tweet and retweet using #BellLetsTalk and Bell Lets Talk Day video view at Twitter.com/Bell_LetsTalk Facebook: Every view of the Bell Lets Talk Day video at Facebook.com/BellLetsTalk and use of the Bell Lets Talk frame ...Instagram: Every Bell Lets Talk Day video view at Instagram.com/Bell_LetsTalk Snapchat: Every use of the Bell Lets Talk filter and video view YouTube: Every Bell Lets Talk Day video view at YouTube.com/BellCanada Talk and text: Every text message, mobile and long distance call made by Bell, Bell MTS, and Bell Aliant wireless and phone customers See more

#DYK 1 in 3 people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives. This is why St. John Ambulance is a proud partner of #BellLetsTalk Day. On January 29th we invite you to join the conversation on #MentalHealth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZpCKEZcGwU&app=desktop