Captain Fred a hit in maiden MMI voyage

Captain Fred is clearly in command.

The black English Labrador retriever lays on the tiled floor in the connecting hallway between the Munroe-Meyer Institute building and the former J.P. Lord Elementary School, wagging his tail and being petted by children — sometimes many children at once.

“This is one reason he loves visits with children,” says Captain Fred’s human partner, Lisa Fearnow. “He loves to lay down and have them crawl around and pet him, or look at his ears and his paws.”

“Isn’t he chill?” says one observer with admiration.

Captain Fred is trained to be chill. He is a certified therapy dog, and he and Fearnow, members of a national nonprofit group called Love on a Leash Inc., are making their first visit to the Munroe-Meyer Institute. The local chapter of Love on a Leash has more than 100 dog-handler teams and serves schools, hospitals, libraries, senior centers and other organizations.

See a photo album of Captain Fred’s visit

“All of our dogs have to pass our control evaluation, similar to the canine good citizenship exam,” Fearnow says. “This includes the basics — ‘come,’ ‘sit,’ ‘stay,’ ‘down,’ ‘off,’ walking on a loose leash. Then, we go through an extra training which helps the dogs learn how to deal with things such as wheelchairs, IV tubes, screaming. They have to be able to deal with someone walking into the room unexpectedly with their arms waving and shouting.”

To be certified for therapy work, a dog is permitted to notice the behavior, Fearnow said, but then must turn its attention back to work — which basically amounts to brightening someone’s day.

Captain Fred is showing himself a master of his craft, not flinching at loud laughter and snuggling calmly when one child hugs him tightly around the neck. Fearnow lets one child hold Captain Fred’s leash — which has two loops, so Fearnow can maintain her hold as the child leads Captain Fred a short distance down the hallway.

“Can you stay with us all day, Captain Fred?” asks one Camp Munroe volunteer.

This visit is the culmination of 18 months of effort by Melonie Welsh and Jackie Hankins of the MMI Department of Community Engagement, who worked with UNMC to obtain approval for Fearnow and Captain Fred to begin visiting. It is a “getting to know you” affair, and already a big hit with children from the early intervention and feeding programs, as well as Camp Munroe participants — by the time the day is over, Captain Fred will have met about 75 youngsters.

Research has shown that therapy animals provide both mental and physical health benefits, including decreasing feelings of isolation and loneliness, diminishing physical pain and increasing mental stimulation. Some studies note specific benefits for children on the autism spectrum, including greater use of language and social interaction, following animal-assisted therapy.

“Although therapy dogs can be found elsewhere on campus, we felt it was important for our participants, families, and providers to experience the benefit here at MMI,” Welsh says. “We’re still exploring all the ways a therapy dog might be used here, but given the impact of Lisa and Captain Fred’s first visit, we will be looking for additional opportunities to grow their presence and make them regular members of the MMI family.”

It’s a wonderful experience for Fearnow and Captain Fred, as well.

“It’s exciting to watch children interact with Captain Fred,” Fearnow says. “If you watch the children as they interact with therapy dogs and as they get to know them, it’s just the coolest thing.”

Maybe even as cool as Captain Fred, who — standing up to put his muzzle gently into the hand of a young girl with impaired vision — is pretty chill, indeed.