Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeanne Brouillette.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In 1998 I had a very wonderful golden retriever puppy named Bentley. During his puppyhood, we went through all the training available to us. When Bentley was just under a year old I discovered a training called therapy dog work. As an educator and rehabilitation counselor, I was interested in learning more about this idea so we enrolled when Bentley was 10 months old. When he turned a year he would be eligible for the test to become certified as a therapy dog, which of course we did and he passed.
We then began trying to make visits to the Boston area. Therapy dogs were very new back in 1998 and not many facilities allowed dogs regardless of their certification but we persisted and we found a few places to make visits. I was working full time so our visits took place on evenings and weekends. As our popularity grew we were unable to make all the visits that were requested.
Bu 2002, it was clear we needed other therapy dogs to help so I called the organization I belonged to and asked them if they could give me a list of other members in my area so I could reach out to them so they could make some visits. The organization said they could not provide this information so I asked if they would let people know of these facilities that wanted visits and again they said they could not.
So I then asked if I could become a Boston chapter of their organization so I could recruit some members to help. The response was that I needed to have several members already in order to join as a chapter. Of course, this was the light bulb moment…. if I already had several members I would be an organization that took requests and sent them out to all members so they would have a quick way to start making visits and for those who wanted visits to receive them.
In 2002, with the assistance of a few friends who offered suggestions of who to speak with to help me get started, Dogs Building Opportunities for Nurturing & Emotional Support, (Dog B.O.N.E.S.)Therapy Dogs of Massachusetts was born.
Since 2002 we have certified and registered over 1600 therapy dog teams (dog and handler) and currently, have approximately 500 active therapy dog teams making visits across Massachusetts.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
We had no expectation of size or growth. It was simply an opportunity for people with well mannered, even-tempered dogs to start making visits to those who could no longer enjoy owning or being with a dog.
Over the years, as our therapy dog teams made visits, the idea grew in popularity and so did we. For the past 15 years, we have seen therapy dog teams welcomed a variety of settings. Places that once said absolutely not are now enjoying regular visits to help relieve stress, boredom, and anxiety. Children in public schools and libraries are reading to therapy dogs, which help children build their confidence and interest in reading.
The challenge now is in meeting all the requests for visits.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Dog B.O.N.E.S. Therapy Dogs of Massachusetts story. Tell us more about the business.
We are an all-volunteer, Massachusetts nonprofit membership organization whose mission is to bring a little fun to someone’s day as they recuperate, rehabilitate or simply live life. We do this by providing therapy dog visits to anyone in Massachusetts who requests a visit.
What I am most proud of is the committed group of therapy dog teams who continue to volunteer to make visits with their dogs week after week, year after year and for the small group of dedicated members who are our instructors. Our instructors conduct our Introduction to Becoming a Therapy Dog Team Workshop where they evaluate and orient prospective teams.
How do you, personally, define success? What’re your criteria, the markers you’re looking out for, etc?
Dog BONES continues to thrive at 15 years of service to the communities of Massachusetts. We strive to engage with and support our therapy dog teams so they are available to make visits to all of those who request them.
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