We all know the power of pets to soothe us, keep us company, and add laughter and joy to our days. For me, the only downside of traveling is leaving my ‘therapy dog’ at home. Many airports around the globe understand this and offer animal therapists to help calm the nerves of travelers. This makes perfect sense because we all know how stressful it can be to just find parking at the airport.

The latest airport to adopt this wonderful program is Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX).  Earlier this week, the launched the Navigator Buddies pilot program. This means that dogs who are registered therapy dogs will be available to cuddle on both sides of security. According to the website “To be accepted in the Navigator Buddies program, dogs must be in good standing with a qualified pet therapy organization. They must be vaccinated and have current health records; must be outgoing with a good temperament; and must have experience in a busy environment. Navigator Buddies are expected to be well-behaved and friendly, and not approach other traveling dogs or working animals, such as police K9 units.”

Congratulations, Sky Harbor! This is paw-sitively perfect travel news!

In case you need something more exotic than a canine for your airport therapy, consider:

• LiLou, the first airport therapy pig at SFO
• Mini horses at CVG
• Bacon Bits, a 100+ pound pot-bellied pig at ALB
  

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  Just because I can, here is a photo of my pup to leave you with a smile. Thanks for stopping by!