Major missing: Mumbai airport’s therapy dogs in action

The therapy dogs were seen at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport between 2015 and 2019

Seven years after introducing therapy dogs at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), airport authorities don't seem keen to continue the initiative.

Back in 2015, Animal Angels Foundation, a non-profit that has been working in the field of animal-assisted interventions, had kicked off the therapy dog programme with four Golden Retrievers - Pepe, Goldie, Sunshine and Pearl - employed to help anxious passengers. The dogs worked on a rotation basis. The project continued till 2019, but post Covid-19, there has been so sign of reviving it.

Aakash Lonkar, director of Animal Angels Foundation, said that three handlers from the organisation, including himself, would take two dogs to the airport every weekend on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 6 pm to 12 am. "Before this, we used to do comfort dog programmes, where we would take dogs to offices to help reduce work stress. The airport thought that they could extend this to passengers," said Lonkar. The dogs were often seen with the handlers near gates and boarding areas. "Often, passengers who have been stranded at the airport for hours, would come and interact with these dogs. It would make them feel better," he said.

These dogs, he added, visited the airport on a rotation basis, which meant that no dog would work back-to-back for more than two days. "We work on socialising the dogs and training them to be therapy dogs. The training is to make sure that the dog is enjoying what they are doing and is not forced into being part of a stressful environment." Out of the four dogs, Goldie passed away, but the other three dogs are with their families who volunteered them for the programme. Airport authorities refused to comment on the issue.