Maribeth Andereck, the coordinator for the Bayou Buddies Therapy Dog Program, approached the Baton Rouge Airport with the idea for therapy dogs to come in to ease passengers' anxiety and reduce staff stress.  The airport was initially skeptical. BTR is, after all, a small airport with a limited budget. They enthusiastically agreed to the program when they learned that it was volunteer-run and operated and that their only expenses would be covering the background check fees necessary for the volunteers to get into the concourse area. 

They started with five volunteers, but have now expanded to seven. "We hope to get more volunteers certified soon," Andereck says, "The only limiter is that background check fee!" More volunteers would mean that the therapy dogs could be present more often. For now, they're mostly around on weekends or evenings.

"We do try to come in when the airport is experiencing long flight delays. A few weeks ago there were a lot of storms coming through, so I came up with one of my dogs. People were all so stressed an exhausted, but when they saw him, they just lit up."

Becoming a therapy dog is mostly about temperament. There are many great dogs with the Obedience Club who are fabulous for competitions or races, but don't like people or other dogs enough to make a good therapy dog. "I evaluate all of the dogs to make sure that they are the right fit for the program. We look for good manners and obedience, but also that they fit the standards of a Canine Good Citizen," explains Andereck. 

 

When the dogs aren't at the airport, they spend their days visiting schools, nursing homes, and even festivals (providing it's not too hot!). The dogs are trained to provide a calm, friendly presence that helps lower stress and brighten days. The dogs come in all shapes and sizes, from St. Bernards to Dachshunds.