Volunteer therapy dogs at Lincoln airport

Healing Heart Therapy dogs work all over Lincoln, and as therapy dogs became more popular at airports across the country, they thought they would take some pups over to the Lincoln airport. 

Karen Lehmann has been a dog handler with Healing Hearts for two years, and has seen the effect dogs have on people. 

“With the work therapy dogs to do, they can lessen people’s stress, blood pressure, it can brighten their day, it can make them less afraid,” Lehmann said. 

They’re hoping that’s exactly what the dogs will do for travelers. 

For now, they are in a trial period. They will see how people react to the dogs and find the right time for the dogs to come, like during cancellations and long layovers. 

“Because we have much fewer people and a much more defined flight schedule, we’re trying to find where that might fit in,” David Haring, executive director of LNK airport, said. 

Lincoln airport was aware how popular therapy dogs in large airports were becoming, but they weren’t actively searching for dogs. The opportunity presented itself when Healing Hearts Therapy dogs reached out to them. 

“One of their missions is to look and go out and find ways these dogs can benefit the community,” Haring said. 

On Friday, only Saber, a nine-year-old Belgian Tervuren came to the airport to get antiquated with people traveling. His friendly demeanor and fluffy fur quickly caught people’s attention. 

As the trial goes on, they’ll see how many dogs the airport needs and where they best fit.