The first railway therapy dog is coming to station platforms all across the north offering comfort, cuddles, and social interaction.
Six-year-old German shepherd Nya qualified last month with charity Pets As Therapy and launched her career at an event on a TransPennine Express route where she met with staff and members of the public.
Owner Steve O’Callaghan, who works for TransPennine Express as their Safeguarding and Crime Prevention Lead, registered her with Pets As Therapy in December and together they put her through three months of training and temperament testing.
Steve said: “Nya is now officially qualified to perform visits and she has received such a positive response, with dozens of travellers and colleagues stopping to say hello.
“I’m so proud that TPE is the first ever train operator to have its own therapy dog and I’d love to see this rolled out across the rest of the railway.”
Join the discussion
Super proud to have Nya join us to help raise much needed awareness of Mental Health and the importance of pets for therapy and the association to mental wellbeing.