When Peggy pads into St Saviour's Hospital, something shifts. Patients who have been quiet all morning sit up a little straighter. Hands reach out to stroke her ears. For a few minutes, the ward feels less like a ward and more like home.

Peggy — a 13-year-old German Shepherd cross — and her owner Jan Sims are regulars at the hospital, visiting as volunteers with Therapy Dogs Nationwide. This month, their work was recognised at Crufts, the world's largest dog show, where Sims received an outstanding achievement award for her dedication to pet therapy in Jersey.

She wasn't the only Islander honoured. Tina Caldeira and her Labradoodle Lola — who turns 10 later this month — also received the award for their weekly visits to St Michael's Prep School and an Island care home. The awards were presented at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham and accepted on behalf of both volunteers by Ro Cox, who heads the Jersey branch of Therapy Dogs Nationwide.

A difference you can see

The nurses at St Saviour's have watched Peggy work her quiet magic many times over. "I can't tell you what a difference she has made to some of our patients who maybe don't have a dog or have pets of their own at home," one nurse said. "Just seeing Peggy on the ward sitting by their feet, letting them cuddle her — it makes all the difference in the world.

"We see first-hand what a positive difference this makes — the power of pet therapy really is quite something to see."

It's the kind of impact that's hard to measure but impossible to miss.

Comfort in the hardest moments

Lola's visits have left their own mark. At the prep school, children look forward to her weekly arrival, and Cox described how the interaction helps encourage them in their classes. But it's one moment at the care home that perhaps best captures what therapy dogs can do.

"We also see the difference achieved at the care home, including one occasion where Lola helped provide real comfort to a resident who was close to the end of life and their loved ones," Cox said.

No training manual covers that. But Lola, calm and gentle, was simply present — and that was enough.

Part of something bigger

Therapy Dogs Nationwide was established in 2016 and now has more than 1,500 volunteers across the British Isles. The Jersey branch alone has around 50 volunteers and their dogs, spanning a wide range of breeds.

The work isn't for every dog. All prospective therapy dogs undergo a rigorous temperament assessment — they must remain calm around strangers and in unfamiliar environments. Once approved, each dog is matched to a setting that suits both their personality and their owner's availability.

"Our dogs are not assistance dogs like Guide Dogs," Cox explained. "However, they are more than just a family pet."

Volunteers wear a branded uniform, and the dogs sport Therapy Dogs Nationwide leads, collars, and coats — small details that signal something significant is happening.

A wagging tail goes a long way

For Jan Sims and Tina Caldeira, the Crufts awards are a lovely recognition — but the real reward comes weekly, in the smiles on a hospital ward, the laughter in a classroom, and the quiet comfort of a dog who knows exactly when to sit close.

Anyone in Jersey interested in volunteering with Therapy Dogs Nationwide can email jersey@tdn.org.uk or call 07797 739795.