When Judi Sandilands-Cincotta retired from a decades long nursing career and moved from Sydney to Kiama for a seachange, she had no idea how busy she would be.

Judi is a Guide Dogs NSW volunteer and her weekly calendar is fully booked through her work as a therapy dog handler with her five-year-old labrador Ollie. Judi and Ollie visit high schools, courts, libraries, police and ambulance stations across the region to provide smiles, support and comfort to those who need it most.

Judi began volunteering in 2018 and has spent thousands of hours teaching and nurturing labradors as a puppy raiser. But in 2020 when COVID hit, the guide dogs training program went into lockdown. 

“COVID was a real shift for me,” says Judi. “Everything shut down at guide dogs and if you’ve ever tried to train a dog on zoom, well it’s just about impossible. I was fortunate that I was not a new handler, so I had a bit of experience behind me that served me well, but I found the technology difficult.” 

So, to maintain the training and discipline needed to be successful, Judi set up her garage to mirror external experiences for the dogs, including steps and water hazards. 

It was during this time that Ollie came into Judi’s life. Ollie was on the Guide Dog Pathways Program with another puppy raiser, but medical issues meant she was no longer suitable. Ollie was rehomed with Judi, who soon realised she would make a brilliant therapy dog, due to her gentle, calm, loving nature. 

Judi, a former clinical nurse consultant in mental health, knows how beneficial a therapy dog can be to wellbeing. Research has proven that patting a dog can release the feel-good chemicals serotonin and oxytocin, and reduce stress hormones like cortisol.

Ollie is now one of the hardest working therapy dogs in the region, visiting Warilla High School’s wellbeing hub each week and spending time with students at Kiama and Bomaderry High every fortnight. After COVID, the need for mental health support in schools increased markedly, with anxiety among students and higher rates of school refusal on the rise. Staff at all three high schools describe Judi and Ollie as “superstars” for the volunteer work they do supporting kids who need a little bit of extra help navigating the challenges of school.

Warilla High School’s head teacher of wellbeing, Natasha Clark, says having Judi and Ollie on site for the past three years has provided invaluable support to both students and staff.  

Ollie keeps a close eye on her protege Shiko

“Judi is amazing,” says Natasha. “Judi and Ollie are such an important part of our school, we consider them staff. Ollie has a school support dog vest, she gets her school photo taken, has a school ID and takes part in events like RUOK Day. Everyone just loves them.”

The dynamic duo has now become a trio, with Judi introducing 11-month-old labrador pup Shiko - in training for the Guide Dog Pathways Program - to students so he can learn how to behave in busy environments with both children and adults. 

Natasha says the positive impact Judi and her dogs have had on students is invaluable and the benefits of the therapy dog program “endless”. 

“School can be stressful for students and teachers, but as soon as Judi, Ollie and Shiko walk in, everyone who crosses their path smiles,” says Natasha. 

“You just can’t help it, they bring so much joy. Patting Ollie or Shiko really calms people down. If a student is feeling overwhelmed or anxious, you see them relax within minutes when they are with the dogs. It refocuses them on something other than the big emotions they are feeling. 

“Once they are calm, we can start working with them to help with whatever it is they need. Having therapy dogs on site is mutually beneficial for everyone. It helps us as teachers to do our job better and I watch kids who are so upset just calm down straight away as soon as they see Ollie or Shiko.” 

Bomaderry High School student support officer, Marty Richardson, agrees. “We have a tutorial centre at Bomaderry for kids with anxiety or behavioural issues and Ollie and Shiko help them with their emotional regulation,” explains Marty. 

“If the kids need to see the school counsellor or deputy, we make sure Ollie goes in with them. The kids learn, through handling the dogs and training them, about trust and responsibility. Everyone loves Ollie and Shiko, and Judi too. If we could clone all three of them that would be so awesome. They are rockstars here at Bomaderry and how lucky are we to have them at our school?”

It is a sentiment shared by Natasha, who recognises that not all schools have had the support needed to implement a therapy dog program.

“We are so thankful for Judi and to have this program running in our school,” she says. “We had been wanting to do it for a very long time, but it was about finding the right person. We are very lucky to have found Judi, Ollie and Shiko. Everyone here can see the value that it brings to students and staff.”

Judi says the therapy dogs program works because of the bond students and staff have built with her and the dogs and the training that has gone into ensuring Ollie and Shiko are suitable for school environments, which can be high energy and full of temptations like lunch boxes and ball games. 

“You need to make sure your handling skills are really good,” says Judi. “Ollie’s nature is so beautiful. She has the best temperament and I knew she would be helpful with students in school settings.”

Shiko is a gentle giant, who loves attention. But Ollie keeps him in line and likes to remind the younger pup that she is the boss and the classroom is her domain.

“I just love them,” says Cooper, a Year 12 student who visits the wellbeing hub during a free period to hang out with Judi, Ollie and Shiko.

Judi takes her role as a puppy raiser, therapy dog handler and mentor to students very seriously and recognises it is a privilege to do volunteer work that she loves, even though she is busier than she ever was when she worked full-time.

“I will often ask students to help me train Ollie or Shiko, by walking the dogs on lead and getting kids to ask them to sit or stay or leave food,” explains Judi. 

“They see how much better the dogs get at following commands through practice. Kids start to learn that it takes a lot of practice to get something right. The dogs show students that they might not get something right the first time, but they will get better with practice.”

Judi says volunteering with Guide Dogs NSW, and in particular therapy dogs like Ollie, has changed her life.

Ollie at Warilla High School's RUOK Day

“Therapy Dogs is what I love,” says Judi. “Once a dog goes back to Guide Dogs NSW, you don’t get to see what they are capable of as an assistance dog because they are with their new owner. With therapy dogs you get to see the benefits immediately, and you get to interact with people in the community. My grandkids are in Sydney, so I love being around these young people in high schools.”

Judi also recognises the benefits therapy dogs can provide to the wider community. Judi and Ollie were a welcome presence outside Westfield Bondi Junction, where they spent time with members of the public impacted by the horrific stabbings inside the centre just days earlier.

“I can read my dogs. You spend hours and hours training them everyday,” explains Judi. 

“I knew that having a therapy dog like Ollie outside Westfield Bondi would be so beneficial for so many people. We didn’t speak to anyone about what happened, we were just there for people to come and pat or cuddle Ollie, or for kids to sit with Ollie while their parents spoke to the mental health volunteers on site. 

“I just knew in my heart that cuddles with Ollie was exactly what this community needed. When people are at their absolute lowest, that’s when we see the benefit of therapy dogs the most.”

Judi and Ollie have also worked in disaster recovery centres after bushfires and floods, recently providing support at the Northern Illawarra flood recovery centre after torrential rain impacted communities across the region.

The pair are part of the Canine Court Companion Program at Campbelltown Court, offering comfort to victims of domestic and family violence. They also pop in to local police and ambulance dispatch stations for ‘fly-in, fly-out visits’ so staff can have a pat, play and cuddle with Ollie. 

“It’s a distraction from the difficult things they have to deal with everyday,” explains Judi.

Next month, Ollie and Judi will start volunteering at Lifeline Sylvania, where Ollie will sit with call centre volunteers and offer handshakes, hugs and support once a month. And, as if the dynamic duo are not busy enough, they will be at Shellharbour Library throughout August to read books with young people to celebrate Pawgust.

Training a guide dog is expensive, around $50,000 for each puppy, and not all are guaranteed to become assistance dogs. Judi’s volunteer work as a puppy raiser and therapy dog handler ensures that all members of the community reap the rewards and benefits of the guide dogs program.

“People have donated their hard-earned money towards that cost so I’m going to make sure I give 115 percent as a puppy raiser,” says Judi. 

“No dog is ever trained as a therapy dog. They all start on the guide dog pathway. But in the end, they choose the pathway themselves. I am so blessed that I have the opportunity to do this for people in my community and share the beautiful Ollie. And I know I have set Shiko up well for whoever receives him in the future. I may never meet them or see where he goes, but I know I finished what I started. I often tell this to students: ‘when you start something, see it through to the finish, don’t give up when it becomes hard’.”

Judi, who has been nominated in this year’s NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards for her work with Therapy Dogs in schools, encourages anyone interested in volunteering to “just do it”. 

“Volunteering is such an important part of communities,” says Judi. 

“I get to use my skills, adapt what I have learned in my profession and translate it into supporting the mental health of young people, empowering them to get involved with their community. These kids see what I can bring to the table as an older person and I want them to think that they can do the same, everyone has something to offer. I always say ‘use what’s in your hand’.”

What’s in Judi’s hand right now is treats for Ollie and Shiko, and she wouldn't have it any other way.