ST. GEORGE, Utah — Whether walking into a high pressure university library during finals week, a hospital room in intensive care, or a local elementary school where a child struggles to read aloud, the quiet entry of a therapy dog has a way of instantly changing the energy in the room.
For Anita Sjoblom, a veteran volunteer with Intermountain Therapy Animals, that transformative moment is something she has witnessed firsthand for nearly three decades.
According to its website, Intermountain Therapy Animals is a nonprofit organization dedicated to training and registering volunteer teams of companion animals and handlers to provide therapy services across Utah and Montana.
“Dogs just have the ability to break the ice, reduce stress, lower blood pressure — all those medical miracles that happen with the oxytocin released when you pet a dog,” Sjoblom said. “Whether working with kids, adults in nursing homes, or people in difficult situations and trauma, just a distraction or changing the moment can make such a difference.”
Sjoblom has been volunteering with Intermountain Therapy Animals for 28 years. Her current therapy dog, Jack, is her seventh registered canine partner. Like all six of his predecessors, and even a therapy cat Sjoblom once trained, Jack is a rescue animal.
“All of my therapy animals have been rescues or pets that have been rehomed,” Sjoblom said. “It’s special knowing that animals who came from shelters are able to turn around and give so much love back to the community.”
Understanding the Role: Therapy Dogs vs. Service Animals
A common misconception Sjoblom and her fellow volunteers frequently address in Southern Utah is the difference between therapy dogs, service animals, and emotional support animals.
- Service Dogs: Individually trained to perform specific, life sustaining tasks for a single individual with a disability, protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act with broad public access rights.
- Emotional Support Animals: Provide companionship and emotional support to a single owner within personal living spaces, but do not possess specialized public access rights or official working certifications.
- Therapy Dogs: Registered and insured teams trained to interact with the broader public. They go strictly where invited — such as hospitals, schools, libraries, and disaster recovery zones — to offer comfort and stress relief to entire groups.
“Therapy dogs are there for everybody,” Sjoblom explained. “They don’t have automatic public access rights under the ADA like service dogs do; they can only go where they are invited. But when they enter those spaces, their presence touches every individual uniquely.”
‘R.E.A.D.’ing Without Judgment
Among the organization’s flagship initiatives across Washington County is the R.E.A.D. program — an acronym for Reading Education Assistance Dogs, beginning in 1998 and eventually trademarked by Intermountain Therapy Animals in 2001.
Volunteers bring registered therapy dogs into local public libraries and elementary schools, including classes for students with physical or learning disabilities. Children who struggle with reading can read to the therapy dogs instead of a person, from a book of their choice.
“It removes the stress for the kids,” Sjoblom said. “The dog doesn’t correct them or judge them; they just listen. Anytime you can get a child to read one more book, it’s a huge victory.”
From College Campuses to Hospital Rooms
The reach of Southern Utah’s therapy dog teams extends across multiple facets of community life:
- Higher Education Stress Relief Events: Teams visit Utah Tech University in St. George and Southern Utah University in Cedar City during finals week, giving university students a much needed mental break during high stress exam periods.
- Hospital and Rehabilitation Visits: Volunteers respond to direct calls from chaplains, nurses, and doctors at local healthcare facilities. They visit patients in pediatric wards, rehabilitation centers, behavioral health units, and occasionally intensive care units.
- Community Crisis Support: Therapy teams participate in community gatherings, suicide prevention events, and airport stress relief outreach for anxious travelers.
In clinical settings, the physical impact of a therapy dog visit can be profound. Sjoblom recalled visiting with brain and spinal cord injury patients where a patient’s very first voluntary movement was reaching out to pet a therapy dog.
“Whatever clicked in their brain, the connection was made,” Sjoblom said. “They had the innate impulse to reach out and pet the dog because it made sense to them.”
She also points to stories like “Caleb’s Story”, a documented case where a young boy recovering from a severe automobile accident worked with an Intermountain Therapy Animals team to regain his ability to walk and talk.
According to Sjoblom, not only are the visits important to patients, the visits mean everything to their families, friends, and even the hospital staff who get to witness the impact that therapy dogs have on their loved ones and patients.
Rigorous Standards for Paws and Handlers
Intermountain Therapy Animals was founded in 1993 with a clear mission statement: To enhance the quality of life through the human animal bond. Maintaining that standard requires rigorous preparation.
Before testing and registration, dogs must be at least 2 years old and exhibit a naturally calm, outgoing disposition toward both humans and other animals. Handlers undergo a mandatory five to six hour training course, followed by a hands on role playing evaluation that simulates unpredictable real world environments.
“When we evaluate a team, we are always looking to make sure the dog genuinely enjoys the work,” Sjoblom said. “My dog Jack knows when we get close to a visit — he starts making excited noises in the back seat. He knows he’s about to get lots of love.”
With more than 20 volunteer teams actively serving Southern Utah, the impact continues to expand across schools, healthcare facilities, and civic events.
“We just want to make a difference in someone’s day, make them happy, and bring comfort,” Sjoblom said. “That’s the ultimate takeaway, leaving people brighter and wanting us to come back again.”
Crisis Support and Facility Visits
During times of sudden tragedy or trauma, Intermountain Therapy Animals offers rapid deployment of therapy teams to assist impacted individuals, community members, and emergency personnel. Therapy animals offer critical emotional support and comfort to those navigating grief, shock, or severe distress. Facilities including schools, workplaces, and local organization sites can request visits whenever a crisis impacts their community.
Request a crisis visit: Contact Beth Ott at the organization’s office at (801) 272 3439, by cell at (503) 544 5899, or by email at Beth@TherapyAnimals.org.
