ALLENTOWN, Pa. — “Ready to get to work?” Charlie McGarvey asked Bentley.
Bentley took off across the airport wagging his tail to start greeting passengers as they waited for their flights. He’s an 11-year-old Golden Retriever who works at the Lehigh Valley International Airport as part of the C.O.P.E program, Canines Offering Passengers Encouragement.
McGarvey and Bentley visit the airport every Monday morning to make the air traveling experience a little more enjoyable. This recent Monday, the retriever with gray around his eyes and snout and a calm demeanor, was a hit with everyone he encountered.
The airport started the C.O.P.E program in 2015, said Paula Bonstein, manager of customer experience for LVIA, after a therapy dog handler suggested it. She said they started with six dogs and handlers, which has grown to 22 dogs and people.
The connection between passengers and the dogs has been overwhelming, Bonstein said.
“Once we started the program, we actually saw the engagement that the handlers had with the passengers,” Bonstein said. “You could just see the passengers light up when they saw the dogs coming down.
"Sometimes the visits were more emotional. Maybe the passengers were sad because they recently lost their dog. There's so many different stories that our C.O.P.E members hear as they come and visit with the passengers.”
Keith Anderson was at the airport waiting to head back to his home in Manchester, England after visiting friends in Allentown when he got a visit from Bentley.
“We just go around saying hello,” McGarvey said.
Anderson petted the pup while the two talked. He said this is the first time a dog had approached him in an airport.
“I think it’s brilliant,” he said. “It cheered me up today.”
McGarvey, a Whitehall resident, started volunteering with the C.O.P.E program along with his dog Clipper. But after Clipper passed, he wanted to keep going, so he secured approval from his neighbors Holly and Steve Harry around 2019 to continue with the program with their dog Bentley. The dog has since made more than 100 visits to the airport.
Bentley and McGarvey also volunteer at other places, like assisted living facilities.
“It's therapy for me because we don’t have dogs anymore,” McGarvey said. “After Clipper we had a sheltie named Jonah and then we lost Jonah. So at our age, we didn't get another dog.”
Holly Harry said they were enthusiastic when McGarvey asked to train Bentley to be a therapy dog.
"We thought it was a great program," she said. "And Bentley loves Charlie so he'd go anywhere with Charlie."
Despite recently undergoing cancer treatment, McGarvey has remained active by doing volunteer work and teaching health and physical education part-time at St. Jane Frances de Chantal School.
"I think therapy dogs a great idea just to make people feel at ease when they travel."Central Valley resident Stephen Zamojski
Stephen Zamojski walked right up to Bentley when he saw him and immediately got on the floor to pet him. The Center Valley resident said his family recently had to put down their “ball of love,” a 160-pound Saint Bernard. He said he became happy just seeing Bentley.
“It just made me feel good because I know dogs love people and it just grows and it spreads," Zamojski said. "I think therapy dogs are a great idea just to make people feel at ease when they travel."
Passengers and airport staff scratched his ears, back and even his stomach for more than an hour until Bentley tired. He then headed for the door, but stopped to let two little girls pet him and give him a hug. Once in the elevator, he got his reward. Two biscuits.
To join the C.O.P.E program, dogs should be at least two years of age, be certified with the Canine Good Citizen Training and have a year of working experience at a recognized therapy dog organization. Go here for more information about the program.
