The pair are the most recent to be recruited as part of the drive for new volunteers as demand increases for its services.
The charity, which was founded last year, now has 22 volunteers but with more and more people and establishments applying for placements, the search is on for more budding owners and their gentle pets, whatever the size - as the two Marthas show.
Volunteer owners of 5kg Martha the Dachshund, Wendy Marshall, and 80kg Martha the St Bernard, Bridget Rogers, hope to show that size does not matter, all dogs are welcome as long as they have a good temperament.
‘Martha loves being around people, she goes to visit a lady at an assisted living home and it’s wonderful, they like having her around,’ said Ms Rogers.
Mrs Marshall agreed: ‘Everybody loves her as she’s so gentle and kind, and she enjoys interacting with people in return.’
To help with their recruitment drive, the charity is holding two special training workshops in the coming months.
Wag chairman Marguerite Talmage, said the sessions would give those interested in volunteering an opportunity to see what is required of a therapy dog.
‘All our Wag volunteer dogs undergo an assessment to make sure their temperament and behaviour is suitable for carrying out therapy visits to people in many different situations,’ she said.
‘These training sessions aim to give interested dog owners the opportunity to bring their dogs to meet us before they embark on that process.
‘The workshops will be informal training sessions with our qualified trainers and owners can find out what is involved in carrying out therapy visits.’
Visits last no more than 30 minutes.
They usually take place weekly but the frequency depends on the time a volunteer has available.
Committee members Jenny Mahy and Anna Brehaut, who are both qualified dog trainers, will be taking the workshops and will be on hand if anyone has any questions.
‘In order to become a volunteer, dogs must have a gentle temperament and enjoy being made a fuss of,’ said Miss Brehaut.
‘It is also important that they have some basic training skills and are relaxed, which is why we are holding these sessions.
‘We are aware of the commitment that our volunteers make, so we want them to feel confident and relaxed when heading towards the assessment stage.’
n The first of the workshops is being held at the St Peter’s Douzaine Room on Wednesday 5 June at 6pm with a further session in October.
It will cost £10 per volunteer.
Spaces will be limited.
To register or for more information please email woof@wag.org.gg or call 07911 719081.
You need to be logged in to comment. If you had an account on our previous site, you can migrate your old account and comment profile to this site by visiting this page and entering the email address for your old account. We'll then send you an email with a link to follow to complete the process.