Chance is a trained therapy dog working in the Cambridgeshire area. He volunteers for Pets as Therapy on Mondays at West Suffolk Hospital, where he engages happily with patients and staff in this complex and stressful environment. Staff enjoy a brief respite from their demanding duties, and patients find that meeting Chance reduces their stress and anxiety. Sometimes Chance has helped kick-start post-operative recovery, often by encouraging patients to interact after intensive treatments. He is very gentle and empathic with everyone he meets, and his visits are widely anticipated.
For the rest of the week, Chance works with young people in schools and at home to help them overcome a range of difficulties. Some children like reading to Chance, where they would not read out loud in any other situation. Chance helps other young people overcome issues like anxiety, autism, ADHD, and anger issues by giving them a focus and a reason to engage that they have not found elsewhere. Sometimes, young people who struggle to attend school are able to do so knowing that Chance is there to help them. In a number of cases, children whose anxieties have prevented them from leaving the house have found that Chance gives them the confidence to overcome their fears, and re-engage with the outside world.