Canines with the calming factor

Delayed flights, crowded terminals, long lines at check-in: what flyer hasn’t experienced the stress of holiday travel?

A number of US airports have gone to the dogs, literally, to find a way to help calm passengers’ nerves.

In San Francisco airport’s lively Terminal 2, for example, the people and the dogs of the Wag Brigade are hard to miss. They mingle among people hurriedly making their way from ticket counter to security.

On a recent day at the airport, Toby walked slowly in the terminal, Jenna casually leaned on a suitcase and Donner made himself comfy in a corner waiting area. They are not exactly frequent flyers immune to the hectic pace of the airport. Their job is to be their loveable selves, the idea being that a short interaction with a friendly dog will help passengers relax before they fly.

They wear a grey vest emblazened with the words Pet Me. Next to that is a name tag indicating they belong to the Wag Brigade.

Toby is a 3-year-old Goldendoodle - half poodle and half golden retriever. He’s large and lumbering and appears to have a grin on his face even with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Jenna is a small white bundle of curls and Donner is a black Labrador with velvety soft fur.

They are among eight therapy dogs that reported for duty at the San Francisco airport at the beginning of the Christmas travel season. The eight dogs in the group have a variety of coats and sizes, but they all have a stress-relieving role, just like a child’s stuffed animal.

“Travelling during the holidays can be stressful because it’s very busy,” says airport spokesman Doug Yakel. “There is nothing that takes away the stress like petting a cute dog.”

Passengers are invited to approach the animals and pet them, he says. The dogs walk through the crowd with their handler at least once a day. The dogs have proved so successful that the airport plans to continue the programme after the holidays.

Trained by the San Francisco animal protection organisation, the dogs have already had extensive experience as therapy dogs that visit hospitals, homes for the elderly and schools.

There are similar initiatives at airports in Los Angeles, Miami and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Los Angeles programme is called PUP - Pets Unstressing Passengers - and has 19 dogs. The PUP website shows their photos and names and lists their traits. Tiffany and Mikey are among the six dogs that work in Fort Lauderdale, while in Miami the 5-year-old golden retriever Casey has been calming passengers since February 2012.

“Going to the airport is like a spa day for him,” said Toby’s owner Shari Marks. “He gets all the attention. Everybody pets him; that’s pretty perfect for him.”

Toby sits down in a waiting area and he’s immediately embraced by passengers. The golden doodle shows an abundance of patience as he lets passengers pet him.

Jenna’s owner is also utterly convinced of his little poodle mix’s charming effect on people.

“The passengers cuddle her and Jenna puts a smile on their faces,” says Fabio Giuntarelli.

The passengers tell him how much they miss their own dogs and how good it feels to pet an animal. Giuntarelli, a real estate agent, volunteers his time with Jenna at intensive care stations at children’s hospitals, which tend to be sad.

“I want to balance it with something joyful,” Giuntarelli says. “These trips to the airport will be good for both of us.”

Donner is a trained seeing-eye dog that is always calm, according to his owner Rick Oberst.

“He is good in public and handles large crowds really well,” Oberst adds. The black Labrador leads a busy life. He can hold out his paw to shake hands and give doggy kisses.

As a little girl sits next to him on the floor, another passenger takes in the scene and smiles. The hectic pace of holiday travel is forgotten for a moment as Donner logs another day on the job.