A Champion of Comfort and Joy with Dog Therapy Group

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Connie Compton. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light. 

For over two decades, Connie Compton has been a driving force in the world of animal-assisted therapy. As one of the five founding members of the SC Dogs Therapy Group (SCD) in 2001, Connie has dedicated countless hours to bringing comfort and joy to thousands of individuals through therapy dog visits.  

Since becoming president of SCD in 2008, Connie has overseen an impressive expansion of the group’s activities and membership. Under her guidance, SCD has grown to over 100 members, with 20 new members qualified in the past year alone. The organization now boasts a regular schedule of over 300 visits to 65 locations annually, including 20 monthly visits. In 2013 alone, SCD therapy dogs brought comfort to over 6,000 people. 

Connie’s role as president involves a wide range of responsibilities to ensure the smooth operation and sustainability of SCD. She secures insurance for the group’s visits, a critical requirement for their activities. She also monitors all dog teams to ensure they meet SCD requirements, with each team required to complete at least one visit every three months without incidents. Additionally, Connie is responsible for obtaining local business grants and donations to keep the organization viable and schedules bi-annual silent auction charities to fund their efforts. 

One of Connie’s notable contributions is overseeing SCD’s “Books and Reading Kids” (BARK) program, which conducts weekly reading sessions at 18 schools. This initiative not only promotes literacy but also provides children with the therapeutic benefits of interacting with therapy dogs, creating a nurturing and supportive learning environment.

Connie personally leads 12 therapy dog visits each month with her two Golden Retrievers and one rabbit, making a difference in the lives of individuals at assisted living and nursing facilities, special needs centers and children’s events. Read on to find out more about Connie’s dedication to SCD and what drives her passion. 

Tell us about your volunteer role. 

I am the president of SCDogs Therapy group, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides animal assisted activities to nursing and assisted living facilities, hospitals, hospice, cancer centers, senior daycare facilities, camps, schools and much more. We work in the upstate counties of South Carolina. 

I currently oversee 67 volunteers and approximately 20 regular monthly visits as well as many special event activities with schools, universities and libraries. 

I am the evaluations coordinator for the group and lead three to four evaluation workshops each year, testing prospective volunteers and their dogs to become members of SCDogs. And believe me, I was a nervous dog mom when our evaluation team tested me and my two Goldens! Additionally, I am a team leader for several visits each month to nursing and assisted living facilities where I take one of my Golden Retriever therapy dogs, Jasper or Chert, and we also do many special event activities with schools, libraries and universities.  

I also work with our BARK program, (Books And Reading Kids), and spend one day each week during the school year with 2nd grade students who need help improving their reading skills. These students read to one of my dogs each week and the results in their reading improvement and comprehension are amazing. I was a teacher for 44 years before retiring, so the BARK program gets me back into the schools with children and into my happy place! 

Why is this issue so important to you? 

I have witnessed firsthand the smiles and joy on the faces of the residents and children we visit. I walk in with one of my dogs and the atmosphere instantly changes. The day seems a little brighter and soon everyone is happy and reaching out to touch the dogs, eager to share stories and tell you about dogs they have had or known. You can tell the memories are good ones through the smiles and laughter on their faces.  

I have also sat with family members in sad times as well and watch tears fall as they slowly pat my dog’s head and talk about a loved one who is in hospice care or has recently passed away. Sometimes no words are spoken but I know that it is enough that we were there for a time. A squeeze of the hand or a quick tearful smile, and I know we made a difference. 

What inspired you to get started with this initiative? 

In 2001 my father-in-law was in the middle stages of Alzheimer’s. He would stay with my family on the weekend and I noticed that my Golden Retriever, Amos, would stay by Papa Bill’s side, particularly if he became nervous or agitated. Amos seemed to know that Papa Bill was comforted by having him near and within petting range. If Papa Bill went outside, Amos would bark until one of us would come and walk with Papa Bill or bring him back inside.  

I was amazed and began to research therapy dogs and the benefits they could provide. SCDogs Therapy Group was just getting started under the guidance of a young mental health counselor. I met with the group and explained what I had seen with Amos and they assured me I was on the right track in hoping he could become a therapy dog. Amos passed his therapy dog test that October and I have never looked back. And even though Amos is gone now, I have kept Golden Retrievers and trained them as therapy dogs. I took over as president in 2008 and feel so fortunate to be part of such a caring and committed group. Dogs really do make our lives whole! 

What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization? 

We desperately need more volunteers and have more visit requests almost weekly that we cannot fill without more therapy dog teams. We have schools that would love to have our BARK program and at this time we just don’t have the needed volunteers. We hope to continue providing our animal assisted activities for many years to come. 

What has been the most rewarding part of your work? 

For me the most rewarding part of my work is creating relationships with the residents that my dogs and I visit and spending part of each week during the school year with my BARK students and watching their confidence and reading ability grow while sharing a book with a dog who thinks they are wonderful. And they are! 

So many residents in nursing and assisted living facilities have little family or friends to come and visit and they look forward to myself and our volunteers coming each month. We recently had one sweet lady who was going to turn 100 on her birthday. We visited her in the evenings and she always had on her pajamas and she would laugh and say, “You caught me in my pajamas again!” Our visit was scheduled the night before her birthday so the volunteers and myself decided we would wear our pajamas that night to the visit and surprise her. We took flowers and a small gift because after all, turning 100 definitely calls for a celebration! She was delighted and I think we all got a little teary eyed and I don’t think any of us will ever forget that evening.  

This sweet lady later moved to another facility and we worried we had lost contact. After checking different facilities, we found her and surprised her again with a visit. Upon opening her door, she threw up her arms and said, “You found me!” Her daughter explained she was afraid she would never see us again. So many stories and so many memories to share. 

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer? 

Through my work with SCDogs, I have learned that as a volunteer I do make a difference and I enjoy my time, particularly with the older adults that I visit. So many of my “senior friends” have shown me that aging is a natural part of life and you can still find joy and meaning in every day life. They have truly become my role models. 

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about? 

I have always felt that each of us have special talents or gifts and that we should be willing to share them to benefit others. I think to be a successful volunteer it is important to find a cause or organization that has a special meaning to you and just follow your heart. I have a friend who loves to bake and she has started a volunteer organization who bakes cookies each week and delivers them to senior residential facilities. 

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering? 

Take some time and do some research to find a cause or group that shares your interest and that you feel comfortable with in sharing their mission. No matter how big or how small, there is always a need for volunteers who want to get involved in the community. 

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Connie? Find local volunteer opportunities.