Support dog at local dentist helps patients through trauma

Posted

LOXLEY — For many, going to the dentist can be a traumatic experience. One local dentist’s office is finding a solution with the help of a therapy dog.
Kim Conway, a dental hygienist for Dr. John Murphy of Murphy Dentistry, originally purchased her labradoodle puppy Sam with the intent of training him as a therapy dog for special needs adults.
Murphy encouraged Conway to bring Sam to the dental office to visit nervous patients.
“I was reluctant at first,” Conway said. “I really didn’t know how he would respond, and I was afraid it would be like keeping up with a child.”
Turns out, both Sam, and the patients, responded positively.

“I think it’s been good for our business,” Murphy said. “Everyone seems to like it. I think my patients are definitely calmer when he is here, and when he is not here, they ask where he is.”
Conway said they checked with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and made sure it was OK before bringing the dog in.
“They essentially said he can go anywhere a human can go,” she said. “He does not sit in during surgeries or medical procedures, but with normal cleanings or consultations, he is there to provide support.”
Mostly, Conway said, Sam just sits quietly in the room with the patient and patients are encouraged to pet Sam.
“He really responds well to them, particularly to our older and our younger patients,” she said. “He just seems to know what they need.”
One of the main issues, she said, is that patients know that Sam is a therapy dog and not a service dog.
“People know that with a service dog, you’re not supposed to pet them, and we get that a lot,” she said. “When new patients come in, they often ask if they can pet Sam, and once they know it’s OK, they quickly warm up to him.”
Since Sam is just a puppy, he is still undergoing behavior training.
“He started out in puppy manners classes, advancing to intermediate classes,” Conway said. “He will start advanced classes in January and hopefully from there we can begin the process of certifying him as a therapy dog.”
To qualify as a therapy dog, Sam has to be deemed totally “non-reactive,” she said.
“If we are with a patient and that patient reacts to pain, we have to be sure that Sam won’t react to it,” she said.