Until recently, when I thought of a Therapy Dog the image that popped into my mind was of a perfectly groomed Golden Retriever sitting calmly next to its handler wearing a colourful bandana and exuding all those qualities we’ve come to associate with this beautiful breed. Calm, Affectionate, Patient (pretty sure anyone reading this who actually owns a crazy, bouncy, goofy Golden just choked on their coffee!).

That all changed a few weeks ago.  Now the image I see is this one!

This is Big Frank, and he’s just a little bit (OK, a LOT) awesome!

In the words of his mum Elisabeth : “Big Frank is a 3 year old 50kg hunk of brindle lovin’.  He was adopted from a shelter as a skinny 13 month old Bull Arab x Wolfhound puppy, with no manners or idea of his size.”

I first met Big Frank early last year when I photographed him & his harem of ladies at their home (Big Frank is the Hugh Hefner of dogs…but that’s a whole other story).  When you meet this gorgeous boy, the first thing you notice is just how sweet and gentle he is, so I wasn’t at all surprised when I heard he was training to be a Delta Therapy dog.

Big Frank is proof that you should never judge a dog by its looks, or its breed. It’s not that I don’t think he’s ridiculously handsome, I do. But I’d be willing to bet if I stood Big Frank next to my boy Henry, and asked strangers to pick which one they thought would make a good therapy dog, or even which one they’d feel most comfortable approaching, that the vast majority would pick Henry.  And I know for a fact, that Henry would fail spectacularly at the temperament test that Big Frank passed with flying colours to become one half of a Delta Therapy Dog team.

The Delta Society‘s Therapy Dog program brightens the lives of over 20,000 Australians each week.  Their amazing Therapy Dog teams bring joy and comfort to people in aged care & mental health facilities, children’s hospitals and even prisons.

As soon as I heard Big Frank was training to be a Delta Therapy Dog, I asked Lis if I might be able to come along and photograph him in action one day.  Huge thanks go to the staff at the Mater Children’s hospital & Delta Society who were fantastic at helping to arrange the visit.

It takes a very special kind of dog/human relationship to become a Therapy Dog team.  It’s not just about the gentle temperament of the dog, but about the complete trust they have in their human.  I didn’t realise just how important this was until I saw Big Frank working with Lis.   I’ve obviously seen Lis with her dogs before, so I know what an amazing fur parent she is, but this was different.  From the minute we arrived at the Mater Hospital carpark, everything about the next couple of hours was planned out by Lis to make sure Big Frank felt comfortable and safe at all times.

We arrived about half an hour before their shift was due to start so Big Frank had plenty of time to get ready for “work”.  A visit to a nice little park area for a comfort stop was followed by a calm stroll to the Mater Hospital Volunteer Centre.  Having met Big Frank before, I noticed a subtle difference in him that afternoon.  It was almost like he knew that he was working, and was completely focussed on what was about to happen.

We made our way to the ward Big Frank would be visiting, and that’s where he really came into his own.  Under the watchful eye and direction of Lis, Big Frank brought his own very special brand of calm affection to every child he met.

Watching these kids light up when he entered the room, was something I’ll never forget.  Whether they were bed ridden, or able to sit on a blanket on the floor to pat him and feed him treats, Big Frank found a way to shower each and every one with love.

In an email I received later, Alex’s Mum said that she hadn’t stopped talking about Big Frank since he came to visit.

From being a stray at the shelter to a therapy dog bringing joy to sick kids in hospital, Big Frank is proof that every stereotype can and should be challenged.

I can’t think of a better way to end this story than with an excerpt from Lis’s diary after his first day at the Mater Children’s hospital in February.

Feb 24th, 2014

Big Frank and Lis  – what an awesome team xx

Big Frank is a member of the Red Bandana Club, proudly sponsored by IntaDOGZ.  The Red Bandana club is a great way to support the amazing work being done by the Delta Therapy Dog Teams

If you’d like to know more about Delta Therapy Dogs grab yourself a copy of the new book Dogs That Make A Difference, available online at Bookworld.