Canine companion Clara joins Richmond’s Sheltering Arms Institute Team.
Meet Clara, a two-year-old Labrador/Golden Retriever cross, the newest team member of the Canine Companions for Independence Facility at Richmond’s Sheltering Arms Institute. Clara has been training since she was eight weeks old, and she now assists her handler, Dr. Cynthia Rolston, Director of Psychosocial Services and Inter-Professional Science, in her work with patients.
Since 1975, Canine Companions has bred, raised, and expertly trained assistance dogs to assist people with disabilities. Sheltering Arms Institute is collaborating with VCU Health for this program. Dogs are trained to pull toy wagons, push drawers closed, and retrieve all kinds of items. They follow specific commands allowing them to interact with patients.
In her first few days on the job, Clara adjusted to the many changes in her life and settled into her new home and work environment, bringing smiles to patients’ faces. “I can’t wait to see how Clara helps our patients achieve independence,” Dr. Rolston says.
This article originally appeared in the February 2021 issue.
