Paw-some Bonnie makes debut as Salvation Army therapy dog

Bonnie the Cocker Spaniel has made her debut as a therapy dog following in the paw-steps of her brother Brengle in providing support to students at Teesside University as part of Middlesbrough Salvation Army’s ministry. 

Three-year-old Bonnie proved to be a natural in offering comfort and cuddles to students who may be struggling with stress and mental health, helping them to open up and share their worries. 

Golden Retriever Brengle has been a regular visitor to Teesside University with his owner, Middlesbrough Salvation Army church leader Captain Naomi Kelly, as part of the faith advisory service. In 2023, he received an honorary ‘dog-torate’ in recognition of his services to students’ wellbeing.  

Captain Naomi, who is one of the faith advisers at the University, said: “Bonnie has been introduced to students as our next therapy dog. She was very well behaved, and it definitely brought out her gentle side. She is a sweet natured dog, but is more highly strung than Brengle - she’s got a Cocker Spaniel temperament! 

“The first half an hour she was a bit excitable and wondered what was going on, but then she realised she was there to cuddle people and she just went for it. She was sitting on people's laps and leaning into them. Brengle does that a lot, where he will put his full weight on you and give you a ‘doggy cuddle’, but I’d never seen Bonnie do that before. 

“Bonnie was more challenging to train than Brengle. When you ask her to sit, she just looks at you like ‘I don't like to do that!’ But it was like a little switch when she was with the staff and students, she was like ‘my job just now is to be your friend, cuddle and make you feel awesome’.

“The students were absolutely loving it, and by the end of it she was just lying in the middle of a circle of people asking for belly rubs!” 

Bonnie went through puppy training and got sign off before embarking on her new career. The dogs will not be working together, but will take it in turns allowing nine-year-old Brengle, who has been doing the role for seven years, time to rest up. 

Captain Naomi usually goes to the campus, which is next to Middlesbrough Salvation Army, on a Friday for a couple of hours. She believes dogs help people to feel relaxed and open up. 

She said: “People who don’t want to talk to people will talk to dogs, so they help open up conversations. A lot of students say they are stressed but feel better being with a dog, which gives me the chance to ask what it is that is making them feel stressed.  

“It could be the stress of everyday life or it could be something more serious and then I signpost them to other services. We do it because we are part of a religious service and the students are open to that.

“Brengle has become such a vital part of ministry, opening up so many doors for The Salvation Army to support people and start conversations. Our lovely Bonnie is the second wave of that part of my ministry.” 

You can follow Brengle and Bonnie’s adventures on Facebook by searching Brengle Therapy Dog. 

Middlesbrough Salvation Army run a number of programmes in the community including a drop-in for people who are experiencing homelessness, a debt advice service and a charity shop.