LOS ANGELES: There’s a
new breed of dog in U.S. airports. They aren’t sniffing for drugs
or bombs — they’re looking for people who need a friend, a belly to
rub or a paw to shake.
The dogs are intended to take the
stress out of travel — the crowds, long lines and terrorism
concerns.
“His job is to be touched,”
volunteer Kyra Hubis said of Henry James, her 5-year-old golden
retriever that works a few hours a week at one California airport.
“I am just standing there with him. They are talking to him. If I
need to answer for him, I do. But I am at the end of his leash,
he’s not at the end of mine.”
Mineta San Jose International
Airport is widely credited with introducing the airport therapy dog
in the days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, when flights were
grounded, anxious passengers were stranded and reaching friends and
relatives was nearly impossible.
Then a volunteer airport chaplain
got permission to bring his dog Orion to work. He made such a
difference that San Jose formalized the program and now has nine
dogs. Miami International Airport now has one, and Los Angeles
International Airport has 30.
You never know why people are
flying, said Heidi Huebner, director of volunteers at the Los
Angeles airport, which launched Pets Unstressing Passengers (PUPs)
in April. Travelers might be in town for a funeral, to visit a sick
family member or to attend a business meeting.
“You can literally feel the stress
levels drop. People start smiling, strangers start talking to each
other and everybody walks away feeling really, really good,”
Huebner said.
Dogs have to be healthy, skilled,
stable, well-mannered and able to work on a slack 4-foot
(1.2-meter) leash, said Billie Smith, executive director of Therapy
Dogs, Inc., which certifies the airport’s animals. They have to be
comfortable with crowds, sounds, smells — and they need to pass
through security like all airport workers.
Handlers are taught to watch for
people who fear or dislike dogs or those who might have allergies.
In most cases, people approach the dogs, identifiable by the vests
or bandannas they wear.
Los Angeles’ dogs are as varied as
its passengers. There’s a long-haired Dalmatian, a Lab-pointer mix,
a field spaniel, a poodle, three Australian Labradoodles, a
Doberman and an Irish wolfhound named Finn.
Miami’s sole dog, Casey, a 4 golden
retriever, has her own website, fan mail, business cards and a role
on “Airport 24/7: Miami,” a weekly reality show on the Travel
Channel.
“Casey is so pure and genuine,” said
Dickie Davis, director of terminal operations and customer service.
“She’s not asking for anything or selling anything. She is just a
love magnet.”
When Claudia McCaskill’s family
recently flew home from vacation in Brazil, she requested Casey
meet the plane to greet her 5-year-old daughter, Carina, who is
autistic. She knew Carina would be low on energy and patience, and
they still had a 2.5-hour drive home.
Casey and handler Liz Miller were
there with a gift basket, and Carina fell in love with the dog.
“Thank you for visiting us at the
airport so I would be happy,” Carina said in a video the family
made for Casey.
The dogs are also there for more
difficult moments.
Before departing from San Jose, a
soldier kneeled down and told Henry James: “OK, buddy, you take
care of the house while I am gone,” Hubis said.
A woman who said her husband of 40
years told her he wanted a divorce that morning wept on Henry’s
shoulder.
“He just sat there,” Hubis said. “He
knew. He can feel.”
