COAD stands for Community Organizations Active in Disasters. Bright Spot Therapy Dogs was contacted by COAD in the fall of 2013 and asked to participate in this group, along with organizations such as the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, the Red Cross, and the United Way. During and after a disaster, COAD members support the recovery effort by helping individuals and families who have been affected. These organizations may provide the same kind of support they do on a daily basis. For Bright Spot Therapy Dogs, this would mean providing to people touched by disaster the same comfort and caring our dogs give when making their regular visits. The idea is to have the organizations associated with COAD operate in a cooperative, coordinated manor, aware of what their neighbor organizations and public safety officials are doing, so the effort can be more effective.
I spoke at yesterday’s Summit Conference explaining to attendees who we are, what we do, where we do it, why we do it, and, when we do it. My sweet, gentle Therapy Dog King was at my side as I spoke to the group. King is my new partner for such affairs. For the past eight years, my special boy James was always at my side for Bright Spot talks and other community outreach events. King has a hard act to follow, but yesterday, he proved he is up to the task. He sat or lay down by my side throughout the 45-minute talk. He demonstrated to the audience what a Therapy Dog is like.
Bright Spot volunteer Ern Damon spoke to the group about the impact our Therapy Dogs had on the folks of Newtown, CT, when three of us took four Therapy Dogs there after the December 2012 tragedy. Ern’s Great Danes Lilo and Tucker were among the dogs that offered comfort and caring during that terrible time and they were at the Conference to meet and greet the attendees.
We learned from the time we spent in Newtown just how important the Therapy Dogs are to people in need. A dog provides a gentle listener. He is simply there, to hold on to, to hug tight, and to weep tears into his fur.
Judging from the round of applause the dogs received at the end of our presentation, people got the message we came to deliver.