Ambassadors, Not Assholes. When a Dog is Just What the Doctor Ordered

Stuck for some five hours in the Los Angeles Airport after a brutally long set of flights beginning in Denpasar, this duo was a sight for sore eyes. Cali, the charmingly happy, pink- toenailed bulldog and Chaco, the Chihuahua were walking by my seat a few moments ago. As a dog lover, and as one who loves pitties, I leapt at the opportunity to pet both.

These two pups are walked through LAX as passenger de-stressors. The Pets Unstressing Passengers program provides volunteers with properly-trained dogs to offer exhausted folks like me a chance to sit on the floor with a red-vested chubb-butt and get them to give me belly. Cali’s a thick girl, and she was only too happy for me to dig my nails into her butt and give her a proper scrub.

Here’s what I love best about this program:

Certification and Training

PUP volunteers wishing to apply must have at least one year experience working with a recognized dog therapy organization. The dogs must be privately owned and be at least two years old. All PUP volunteers and dogs must be registered with Alliance of Therapy Dogs, a national organization that registers, insures and supports members who are involved in volunteer animal-assisted activities. These activities include visits to hospitals, special needs…