35. Amy Francis with 'Rocky Mountain Therapy Dogs' and Providing Health, Hope, and Healing to the Community with Therapy Dogs

My guest on the podcast this week is Amy Francis, the Founder and CEO of Rocky Mountain Therapy Dogs. They are a non-profit that offers training and certification of dogs, as well as connecting dog handlers with service opportunities in the community. Therapy dogs are a little different than service animals. While they are working dogs, instead of providing a service to one individual, they are used to serve and provide therapy in a myriad of different ways to many different people.
 
That is one of the things I loved learning about this non-profit. Their therapy dogs are involved in the community in so many different ways! From schools and education, to the elderly, outreach programs, hospitals, one-on-one interaction, and community events. Amy also shares some especially touching stories about all the good they get to see the dogs and handlers do. Listen to the podcast to learn more!

Links mentioned in the show:
Rocky Mountain Therapy Dogs Website
Rocky Mountain Therapy Dogs Instagram
Rocky Mountain Therapy Dogs Facebook

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Do Something More Facebook

Transcript

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Melissa: You are listening to the Do Something More podcast, and this is episode 35 with Amy Francis and Rocky Mountain Therapy Dogs, providing health, hope, and healing to the community with therapy dogs. Welcome to the Do Something More podcast, a service oriented show where we highlight the helpers who inspire us all to do something more. I'm your host, Melissa Draper. Thank you so much for being here. Welcome to another episode of the podcast. And today I am really excited to learn more about this organization, Rocky Mountain Therapy dogs, and the good work that they do with our furry friends. So I'm welcoming, though today to the podcast, Amy Francis, who is the founder of this organization. So, Amy, welcome to the show.

Amy: Thanks for having me, Melissa. I'm excited to be here.

Melissa: Yeah, we're excited to learn more about what you do with your nonprofit. But first, I'd just love to have you start off introducing yourself.

Amy: Yeah, well, thank you. I am the CEO and founder of Rocky Mountain Therapy Dogs. We are a local nonprofit organization currently committed to serving Northern Utah communities with the help of our furry friends. They're really the Rock stars. So we're just bringing more awareness to the benefits of animal therapy and really what they can do all over our neighborhoods and not just in the hospital settings.

Melissa: Yeah, that's great. And I loved when I went through your website. I could not believe all the different organizations that you visit with your dogs.

Amy: It really is endless. And, I mean, I went into this with a knowledge of what therapy dog work really was. So I had an idea of where I wanted our dogs to work. But it wasn't until we started to really certify our teams and send them on their way where we learned, either through them or just the community coming back to us saying, hey, have you ever thought about doing this or trying this route? We started with just the therapeutic services. Very quickly being in the schools, we found out, hey, this is a great opportunity to not only read with the children, but to educate them, mainly on dog body language. Right. How dogs communicate. Also, we have a lot of, they're called bully Breeds. We have some pit bulls in our program, so we do an anti bullying campaign, utilizing them in our program. So that was kind of that next step. And then recently in this last year, another volunteer said, hey, did you ever think about doing these mass petting stations? So it's not just this one on one approach, which is fantastic, but you can't see as many people. Instead, we go to local events and we have a little petting station set up, and people have just loved it. Some will stay 20 minutes to a half hour. Others just want a little wet kiss and move on their way. So it just depends. But we just keep learning more and more about the needs of our community.

Melissa: Yeah, that's great. So I would love to have you just explain a little bit exactly, maybe what a therapy dog is, because I think some people might be thinking service dogs, but that is not what they are. They're a little different. So I just loved you. Explain what they are, what their role is, how you utilize them.

Amy: Thank you for bringing that up. That actually is another additional program we've brought out and introduced to the public discussing the differences between working dogs. So technically, there are three working dogs that are defined. So the first one is the most common. It's the service dog. Right. These dogs provide a service to their handler. This can be utilized. Obviously, when people think of a service dog, a lot of times, whether it's for those who are deaf or blind, that is a very common use for these dogs. Relatively recently, individuals struggling with PTSD have been qualified to receive service dogs or utilize them out in the public. Basically, these individuals lives have changed because they wouldn't be able to do what they do without their service dogs. That's what qualifies them to have one.

Melissa: Right.

Amy: So really just kind of that word service. That's kind of the whole definition. They provide a service. Now, when you dive into the next level, at the lower level, because service dogs can go almost anywhere without permission. A therapy dog, on the other hand, needs permission. So a therapy dog is a public servant. These are dogs that go out into the communities with their handlers, but they provide therapeutic services to other people. Right. So that's when we're talking about my dogs going to schools and nursing homes. A lot of dogs go to hospitals. These dogs provide therapeutic services. And then the last working dog would be an ESA or an emotional support animal. These dogs provide emotional support for their handlers if they struggle with anxiety or depression, things like that. They do also need to require permission to be able to go into specific facilities, fly on airplanes, things like that. There's a lot of gray areas when it comes to service dogs and emotional support animals when it comes to where they can go. But that's why the therapy world, for me in particular, I fell in love with, because it's pretty much black and white, we ask for permission. If we get it, we can go there and we just do our job and love on the community. So those are the three different types.

Melissa: Yeah, that was a great explanation. So, focusing on your therapy dogs, how do you go through that process, how do you go acquiring a dog that you might use and the training and other things that you do to prepare them for those experiences they'll have one.

Amy: Of the really cool things that I never foresaw when I first started this, but what we have now, and I just see that we would never be where we are at right now without these women. Rocky Mountain Therapy dogs is not only an organization full of volunteer teams, but we now have four professional dog trainers volunteering for the organization as well. So having all of that intellectual property when it comes to training, being put together and collaborating a program starting from puppyhood all the way through advanced training, getting ready for the test has been amazing. So we've offered this program to the public, whether it's one on one training with our trainers or group classes, which are by far the most popular, they get the same curriculum with whoever they go with. Right. We've all designed this together and it takes them very beautifully through the program to prepare for the test. So we offer that. However, it's not required. We've had people go through the program, I'm sorry, they actually go through the certification test, but they never trained with us. So as long as you can pass our twelve point certification test, which anybody who's interested reaches out to us, we send over the requirements. They can determine from there if they need extra help from us or they've got it on their own, and then they just show up at our quarterly testing days and see if they can make it. Now we understand not only, I mean, the dogs come in thrill, there's other dogs and people around. It's a very fun environment. Not so much for the handlers. It can be very nerve wracking when they feel that pressure to want to pass. So when they pay for the testing fee, it covers three tests. So we understand if you're not going to pass the first or maybe even second time, sometimes you got to get the jitters out before you feel ready to really pass, because you have to pass with flying colors, right? No mistakes, no treats are utilized. We have to see perfection. And that's obviously in order to become insured, right. You have to be certified, and the insurance company has to know that your dog can do X, Y and Z. So we take it very seriously. But we also know that having that support is critical, and they have that with us from beginning to end.

Melissa: Yeah, that's great. So handlers will choose to come to you to have their dogs go through that training, and then once they pass it, they're prepared to go into these different places and organizations with their right.

Amy: They have, you know, obviously, the Rocky Mountain therapy dog certification on their back. They have liability insurance through us, which is a major benefit of going through a therapy dog organization. But also, the training doesn't stop. It's just like, for us, ongoing educational courses for humans is a wonderful thing. As we go through life, the same can be said about dogs. So one thing that we do that I believe is very unique, and I'm very proud of it because of the women that I get to work with is we offer quarterly task training classes free to all of our certified teams. So, for example, we recently hosted some courses where we taught deep pressure therapy. So teaching our dogs, on cue, to lay their head on an individual, maybe even lay their entire body on a student who's reading to calm them down. We teach our dogs how to turn pages on a book with their nose. These little fun skills. We consider these beautiful icebreakers to be able to give the public an even better experience with our therapy dogs. So we continue to support our teams in training even after they become certified.

Melissa: I love that. That is fascinating to hear about that whole process and what they go through to get to that point where they could provide those services. So I would love to hear. Do you have any great stories or experiences that you've seen, either as you've been training and preparing these animals or as you've seen them go out into the public?

Amy: I feel so lucky that I have a front row seat to all of these dogs and what they're doing. I mean, it really is hard to even kind of pinpoint, because every time I visit, my team's working, I just lean with goosebumps. Many times, a few tears are shed. It's a beautiful thing to see. There are definitely a few standout moments. One in particular, when really, the entire world was going through a lot of stress and anxiety earlier on in 2020, we had a pediatrician reach out to me, and she was aware of what we were doing in the schools. Obviously, at that time, though, there weren't many kids in the schools, but there was a child that she was seeing who was blind, and it would be very beneficial for him to have a scene eye dog, but he was terrified of dogs. So obviously this was a huge issue. Well, she reached out asking if we'd possibly be interested, since our teams weren't really working at the time, to meet outside at a park on a regular basis with one of our teams and this child and his mother to see if we can begin desensitizing him to being around a dog, just to being near a dog, because he would actually even just hear the shake of a collar and he would start to panic. So we had our first meeting, and we were all outside, and sure enough, you could see him just starting to panic. He showed some signs of severe anxiety. His mother did an incredible job calming him down. But the handler in particular with this dog, Griff, she's just a natural anyway, with children, and she just took over. I mean, we really came in not even knowing what to expect, how to handle it, really, even just who he was, what his personality was like, and she just took over. Griff knew exactly what he was doing. He kind of gave the child space, and then by the end of the hour appointment, I was able to snap a picture of the boy petting the top of Griff's head. Now, he still has know hesitation with being near him, but I think he at least was having fun. He had some time to adjust to the surroundings. He understood that Griff wasn't going to go anywhere, but he wasn't going to also intrude on his space unless he was ready. So that was great. Well, they kept meeting week after week. I mean, my volunteer committed to a weekly meeting at a park with his family. That was in 2020. They, to this day, are still meeting together every week. She followed him all the way into middle school, so she now goes to school with him every week. She visits his classroom. He is so excited. He walks with Griff all around the school. He now has a scene. Eye dog in training. A poodle was donated to their family. So they're going through that process now. And you think you're there for one reason, right? But then all of a sudden, you just start to develop these incredible relationships with the family. And that's exactly what happened with this team. I don't even see this relationship breaking for a long time. And it's really going to probably be on this child to let us know when he feels ready to break away. We just feel very committed to him. So it's those kind of people that I get to work with every day. Obviously, I work with people who love dogs. That's a given.

Melissa: Yeah.

Amy: But the fact that I get to amplify it in the therapy world and work with people who also are passionate for other people, that's next level. It really is so humbling when you are around these people and the sacrifices they make and the amount of time they put into helping people. There's no time frame. We don't go into a case and say, okay, by two months or three months out, we should start seeing this progress, or we can help you for six months, but that's it. My teams come in with an ongoing commitment of, I'm here as long as you need me. And that's really another thing, being a part of this program that has surprised me, because I really just didn't know how it was going to work. And I saw that it really wasn't me who was controlling the time frame. It was these people coming in, and they were the ones saying, here's what I can do, and here's what I want to take on. And when they take on these special cases, they are fully committed to them.

Melissa: Yeah, that's amazing. And such a beautiful story that you shared there, too. And he'll be able to utilize other services because of the therapy and the time spent with that dog. But I love that. And it's amazing to me to see how animals really can help all of us break down some of those barriers that are there. That's amazing to me as well.

Amy: When you see out in public, if you see a therapy dog working, you're just in awe, wow, look at what they're doing. Look at how calm they're making that person. Look at how engaged the person is with that dog. But really, what I have seen, what I've witnessed over the years, is that the dogs are the most incredible icebreakers, right? They're the ones that really have the people kind of come down, break down the walls, and feel a little more vulnerable and be comfortable with it. It's really the handlers that take it to the next level. So often we say it's animal therapy, but it really is a combination of the animals and the humans involved in the therapeutic process to make it so successful. The handlers are the ones that keep the conversation going simultaneously. The dogs are the one laying their head on the child's lap, who maybe their parents are going through a divorce, and they're just trying to cope and understand what they're feelings right now. So we are in no way therapists. We would never claim to be therapists. In fact, one of our favorite T shirts is, I'm not a therapist, but my dog is. So we're very humble in that sense. We know where we stand. But you don't want to downplay a beautiful conversation. Just somebody who really cares about what you have to say while laying next to their dog. That can be very healing in itself.

Melissa: Right. And from my experience in many of those situations, it takes different things. It's a multifaceted approach, and so obviously you're not claiming to be the entire solution, but you can be a piece of that in helping someone going through those situations.

Amy: Absolutely. It's a team effort. It's the dog, it's the handler, it's the school we're working at. It's the nursing home that has goals for getting this gentleman out of his room and be able to engage with his neighbors better. It is a whole community to be able to help just one person, and that's a really beautiful thing. Like I said, to have a front row seat, too. That's a really beautiful thing to witness.

Melissa: Yeah, definitely. So you've kind of talked about this a little bit through our conversation, but what was your biggest why for starting this organization and for keeping it going, and probably maybe the biggest why you see in your trainers and your volunteers as well.

Amy: So I think that it really started before I launched Rocky Mountain Therapy dogs officially in 2019. I had been training a little over ten years, just dog training, whether it's group settings dealing with behavioral issues in the home, I got a really good feel of the training world, and simultaneously, I got a really good feel of what dogs were capable of. So as I witnessed that throughout my career, I then saw a major need to have an organization to place these dogs in in 2019. I kind of hit this pivotal point with several all at one time. It was amazing. Several of my clients stating, I want to do more with my dog after they graduated with me. Where can I go? What can I do with them? And it was clear to see that these dogs were just made, designed for therapy work. But there was no specific therapy dog organization that focused on the Wasatch back, whether it be Park City or Heber Valley. A lot of them were on the other side of the mountain. So it was one of those situations where it was kind of just in the back of my mind for several months of, well, if it doesn't exist, then I should probably build it. I had a lot of people lined up who just said, yes, we'll support you. We will train all summer with you. They were working really hard to get certified because I said, hey, this is what I'm going to need you to be able to pass if we become a legitimate therapy dog program. I need you to work hard on this while I simultaneously try to work with a lawyer, build the business, kind of figure out the business side of it, which is a lot more than I expected. I'm first and foremost a dog trainer. But I've learned a lot of great things along the way. Right in August of 2019, eight of them at one time, which is really incredible, eight of them became certified. And from there, we just took off. And the fact that even through the shutdown, for about a year and a half to two years, not even be able to work, which was devastating because what everybody was feeling out in our community, the anxiety, the fear, the uncertainty, the frustration, that is an amazing time to utilize a therapy dog. So it was really hard not to be able to be around people for that. But my volunteers, I think even just getting that small taste before the shutdown occurred, they saw the impact they could make. So the second I said, hey, guys, we are good to go. Just mask up. But we are good to go back out into the schools, every single one of them was on board. And like I said, seeing what they can do with the community is one thing, but also having a community within our organization has been huge as well. So there's a lot of events we do with each other and having a lot of like minded individuals. We've had friendships form. We've had people get together, even outside of our organization to have doggy playdates because their dogs, but while they're working, they can't play. So it's been fun to see that. I think there's just so many reasons of why Rocky Mountain continues to grow and expand each year, and it all comes back to the dogs being the rock stars, being the most amazing mascots, but the people being just out of this world, selfless, committed, passionate about what they do.

Melissa: Yeah, that's great. Wow. I have a daughter that is a dog lover, and I'm listening to this and thinking, she'll be telling me that this is what she wants to do. After listening to this episode and all the good things you're sharing, I had one thought as you were sharing that as well with the organizations that you go and visit, have you developed those relationships? Do your handlers kind of choose where they want to go? Do people come to you? How does that all work of getting your dogs out there and a good fit for where they're going to be serving?

Amy: I think my best answer for that, Melissa, is yes. Yes. And, you know, when we started, we were the ones seeking out the facilities. Hey, here's who we are. Would you be interested in our services? We had to prove that we had liability insurance. We would introduce our dogs to them ahead of time, make sure they could feel comfortable. Once we started getting into schools. In particular, other schools would hear about us and go, hey, we would love that. So then they would start to reach out to us. And as long as we had dogs who were available and we could place the teams there, then we would just make it work. And then most recently in this past year, I've had so many volunteers, be it my trainers or my teams, just say, hey, Amy, have you thought of this? What about this? Can we try this? And I've had to develop a new position in the organization called the Community Outreach Coordinator to manage all of. Exactly, exactly. So major kudos to my Amber Miller out there. She is the one who is starting to become a major face for the organization. She's connecting us all together because I'm just being educated. I'm so humbled every day of what I'm learning through all of this, because I'm like, wow, didn't think about that. Oh, that's such a great idea. So, yeah, Amber has been a wonderful help.

Melissa: Great. She's a good friend of mine and how. I heard about your organization.

Amy: She just keeps spreading the. She's. She is living up to her name and doing more. I mean, she'll just tell me all the time, hey, Amy, you're going to be on this news segment this day, this week. And I'm like, oh, okay, I'll show up. So she really is keeping me on track. And, yeah, it's like I said, it's all of the above. Every week is usually an introduction some way or somehow to a new opportunity to be able to offer either our therapeutic, educational, or outreach programs.

Melissa: Yeah, that's great. Well, we do have a lot of listeners that aren't in Utah, so I would love to hear just any general advice or encouragement that you would want to give to someone who's listening to this that's a fellow dog lover and has thought about wanting to get involved in this way or just anyone that's wanting to organize things in this similar manner. Do you have any advice for them?

Amy: Yeah. Yes. To all my dog lovers out there, of course. There really are so many ways. Every state, almost every, I want to say, even county usually is involved in some way or another with animal therapy. So looking up, researching your local therapy dog program is the first step. Now, to be honest, not every dog wants to be a therapy dog. So even though your dog is therapeutic for you, they may not be able to offer that love to others. So if you have a dog who cannot become certified as a therapy dog, or you just don't believe that they would enjoy it at all, there's other ways to get involved. A lot of those community outreach programs helping bring awareness to your local therapy dog program is such a great way to help them out. Offering your time, not just your dog, right to the program is a beautiful way to get involved. And like I said, there's just awesome communities within the organization as well. And if even you don't have a lot of time to offer, but you're still that dog lover that says, well, I don't got the dog, I don't have the time. Donations, that's such a crucial part, too, about these nonprofits is the financial gifts of the neighboring communities. All of these services that Rocky Mountain therapy dogs offer to our community is completely free of charge. I can't even tell you how many times I've had individuals cry or obviously tear up on the phone because they were certain they were going to have to budget for this. I always get asked, so how much is this going to cost? And to be able to say absolutely nothing is one of the most exciting things about my job. I love it when I feel the set up coming. I'm like, yes, I'm about to make their day. It's such a great feeling, but it can only happen through the support of the community. So there's those three ways to give back right there. Getting involved in three completely different ways, but making a huge impact through your local therapy dog program.

Melissa: And even if you're not a dog lover per se, just like I said in the beginning, reading through your website, your organization helps and touches and therapy dogs in so many different areas of society. So if it's education or even correctional facilities or the elderly, I mean, there's so many areas that someone might feel passionate about that maybe they never thought of donating to therapy dogs that can help in that arena that's important to them.

Amy: You're so right. When we apply for grants, for example, it's amazing how many things our organization can hit because it supports mental growth, physical, intellectual, it supports elderly, it supports children, it supports single family homes. We have recently got into a facility for women, children, survivors of domestic violence. We just keep branching out to these areas to be able to help and love on people of all different backgrounds, all different ages. And yeah, it's really hard when you look at what a therapy dog program does to at least not find something in it that you love, that you're passionate about as well, right?

Melissa: Exactly. Well, this has been a great interview. I've learned a lot myself about what this kind of program entails, but would you like to just have you finish off sharing any final thoughts and also where others can find more about your organization if they want to learn more or donate, as you mentioned?

Amy: Yes, absolutely. So kind of just the last finishing thought, just thinking about so many ways to be able to collaborate in your community. Right. Even though we specifically focus on therapy dog work, there are so many other amazing nonprofits in your community that can actually help each other out. We help a lot of other nonprofits as well because we're not in competition. We all have the same goal, to better our neighborhood. So wherever you live, whatever you do, find a way to be able to connect with these nonprofits and help support them in the ways that I mentioned. Whether it's being involved in the organization or donating or bringing awareness, being in the nonprofit world is an absolute dream come true that I wasn't even aware that I had the dream of. Right. I never knew that this was my calling, what I was going to do now, being in it and meeting other people in the nonprofit world, I am in complete and utter awe at what every single one of them is doing, and I want to try to help them in any way that I can. So I guess I'm just. My love for the nonprofit world. I just want to try to shut on everybody else and just say, find a way to get involved. Because what they are doing, what we're trying to do, is be able to make where you live an even more wonderful and incredible and supportive. You know, you can learn more about Us Rocky Mountain therapy dogs, especially on our website. It's rmtdogs.org. Lots of fun information on there. We're also at RMTDogs through all social media avenues. You can learn about upcoming events. You can just see our Little rock stars in action via video and photos and just following us there. But yeah, just reach out. We are a very small organization with very big plans. So in any way that you can help Rocky Mountain therapy dogs out or any other organization around you, you will feel so involved and so much better because of it.

Melissa: I love that. And I will put links to all of those in our show notes. And I just want to say Amen. And second, what you said. Ever since I started this podcast, I have just been amazed at the number of people that are out there, the good souls, just wanting to do good and make a difference in the world in so many different ways. And it is. It's inspiring and an exciting thing to be part is.

Amy: It sure is.

Melissa: Well, thank you so much, Amy, for being willing to come on the show today and to share more about all the good you're doing.

Amy: Oh, I had a great time. Melissa, thank you so much for having me on here.

Melissa: That concludes my interview with Amy Francis with Rocky Mountain Therapy dogs. And so many good things shared there, so many things that I learned myself. I really appreciated there at the beginning that she took the time to give us a little education and clarification on what therapy dogs are. That they're dogs that go out into the communities with their handlers to provide therapy services for other people. And they get permission for every place that they go, but they go to so many different places. I loved that part of the interview of just hearing how she mentioned schools and one on one situations or nursing homes or hospitals, all these different places that these dogs can go to provide their services and give some love and support to those in the community. And I also really liked hearing how her organization serves their community in different ways. First of all, she took us through that process of how they provide training, certification, and even insurance for handlers that want to go out into the community with their dogs to perform these services. And then she also, with her organization, just serves as that connection to the community in helping others be aware of these services and the possibilities of what these volunteers can do. And as I was talking with her, I was just considering and thinking how she was representing so many hours given by so many volunteers in her organization, the people and the animals, the dogs as well, that give of their time simply because they want to serve and help and provide some love and attention to so many different areas and people in their communities. So great organization. Loved learning more about them. If you want to learn more about Rocky Mountain therapy dogs, I will put all the links that she mentioned in the show notes and you can find more about the certification and training they provide or even the events that they do in the community, or even more information on how to donate. So those links will be there in the show notes. And also, if you would like to show some love to the podcast as well, please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or sharing the podcast, either this episode or another one you've loved with a friend. So thank you so much for being here. I'll see you next time. Don't.