Working with rescue dogs helps ‘calm’ this veteran

Pictured (left to right): Trainer at Happy Paws Happy Hearts Justin; Jenny; Bendigo Bank employees 

Jenny is a veteran living with mental health challenges. Taking time off from working, Jenny set herself a goal to work towards – having a therapy dog that she can take into the community of veterans and first responders. 

When an opportunity became available to train rescue dogs, made possible thanks to grant funding by Bendigo Bank, she jumped at it. It felt like Happy Paws Happy Hearts came along at the right time, perfectly aligning with the goal of using her skills to train her therapy dog.  

“Happy Paws Happy Hearts were open. They were accommodating, especially with any physical limitations that I had. I just really love that they’re a not-for-profit organization, and they’re doing something really good for the animal world,” Jenny says. 

In her time at Happy Paws Happy Hearts, Jenny estimates that she has worked with 25 to 30 rescue dogs, but two stand out in particular: Lucy and Raffi. She recalls the first time she met them – when they were very reactive, shaking and cowering at the back of their enclosures. By working with Jenny, these dogs were rehabilitated and taught how to trust people again. 

Reflecting on her experience with one dog, Raffi, she noticed a drastic change in behaviour after working with her for just a few weeks. 

“When I first met her, she was sitting at the end of her pen; she was shaking and cowering, and she wouldn’t come forward. Working with her, we were able to get her to take the treat from us and calm down,” Jenny says. 

“Today, I was in (her pen) with her, by myself, and she was lying down taking the treats. There was a lot of noise and commotion going on, and she wasn’t shaking, she wasn’t nervous – she was just focused on me.” 

Jenny loves dogs because she feels that she can relate to them, particularly dogs with a lot of trauma. She notes the ‘fight or flight’ response and how both dogs and people can experience this.  

“(Dogs) are a lot like humans, and they can live in that fight flight response. They can use their body language to show how they’re feeling, and it’s just a matter of interpreting that,” Jenny says. 

“I’ve lived in that hypervigilant state for so long, and I understand that fight or flight response and how draining that can be. So, I could actually relate with the animals, especially those two dogs,” she says. 

Pictured: Jenny working with a rescue dog with trauma at RSPCA Dakabin.

“It was actually a two-way street; I benefited as well and I could sense changes (in the dogs) ... once you start to bring them out of that hypervigilant fight or flight response, their life was a lot easier and calmer and most of the animals that we’ve worked with have been adopted. 

“I’ve felt that I’ve become more calm as well as a result part of this program. I’ve learnt to slow down, be more mindful and be in the moment.” 

Jenny describes her weekly sessions at Happy Paws Happy Hearts as a safe and open space filled with “really authentic, lovable, amazing, knowledgeable people.” 

“It's the highlight of my week coming here to work with Happy Paws Happy Hearts. It's amazing seeing you put in that time with those dogs that otherwise wouldn't get that time, and then that gives them a higher chance of being adopted into their forever homes,” she says. 

Jenny is looking to adopt a rescue dog from RSPCA, to help her fellow veterans as well as first responders living with trauma, especially those living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She’s excited to keep learning about the dog world and to spread the puppy love. 

“I'm really excited about it. I can take that knowledge, put it into my therapy dog, and then help other people.”