Support dogs are back at Sacramento International Airport – here’s where you can pet them

Curled up right beneath the digital displays, Logan, an 8-year-old snow-colored Great Pyrenees, looked right at home Wednesday in Terminal B at Sacramento International Airport.

Compared to the bustling, fast environment of the airport, his calm temperament and large size helps him stand out to hurried travelers. And that’s the goal.

Logan, one among a small army of support dogs at the airport meant to relieve the stress of air travel, is back this summer after an 18-month hiatus due to the pandemic.

The program has been in place since 2015, hoping to calm nerves and lift spirits of passengers.

Right next to Logan was Sophie, a 6-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel — ever the opposite. She’s brown and white, much smaller and more energetic than he. Together, the two are a part of BARC – the Boarding Area Relaxation Corps – a group of dogs at the airport who greet flyers after they pass the security screeners.

“We’re really excited to have them back because, throughout the time that they weren’t here, we had a lot of people asking when they were going to come back,” said Scott Johnston, spokesperson for the Sacramento County Department of Airports.

When people see the dogs, they’re hesitant to pet them because they think they’re service dogs, Johnston said. That’s why the dogs like Sophie and Logan wear a bright blue vest that reads “pet me.”

The dogs are also a part of the program through the Lend A Heart Animals Assisted Therapy organization, a Sacramento-area nonprofit founded in 1987 that provides animal-assisted therapy throughout the area.

Kathleen Prendergast has been with Lend A Heart for 10 years and BARC since the beginning of the program. She has her own dog, a yellow Labrador named Nikira, who typically sits by Terminal A in the airport.

Prendergast, 72, got involved with Lend A Heart because Nikira needed a job after switching careers as a guide dog for the blind. She thought therapy would be perfect for her.

Nikira, who’s 13½ years old, would then play tug-of-war with kids and even at the airport with Transportation Security Administration agents.

“She still wanted a job to do, and this would be the perfect job,” Prendergast said.

Prendergast said it’s so exciting to be back after being gone for so long. She met several people that had their flights canceled, and they were able to feel better after playing with the dogs.

Sacramento resident Frankie Xu, 18, was on her way to a flight but decided to stop by to ease her nerves. She was petting Sophie and decided to stop by because the dogs looked really friendly.

Chris Moores, 31, was sitting beside Logan and stopped by because he really likes dogs. He said it’s great to have something to do while he’s waiting for his flight.

For Sophie and Logan’s handlers, they’ve both had different paths that led them to become a BARC team member.

Rose Margolis is Sophie’s handler and has been a part of Lend A Heart since 2014. Margolis, 68, said Sophie used to do agility sports and she wanted to find a new activity for her. It helped, she said, that Sophie enjoys being petted.

For Jennifer Baer-Riedhart, Logan’s handler, she has always had large dogs and retired in El Dorado County. Baer-Riedhart said she wanted to do therapy work, so she picked out Logan, who is much more personable than her own two dogs.

“He’s just a big, furry cuddly animal,” Baer-Riedhart said. “They can’t resist, and he’s just very quiet and gentle.”

He switches people’s minds to a softer place, she added, because they can’t imagine a big dog like him at the airport.

The partnership with Lend a Heart is entirely voluntary, so handlers like Margolis and Baer-Riedhart, 69, take their own time out of their day to greet guests. There are now 27 BARC teams in both Terminals A and B.

Johnston said the airport plans to have the dogs around year-round, but is still figuring out what specific days they’ll be scheduled to appear.

Now, as guests pass by Terminals A and B of the airport, Sophie and Logan will be there ready to greet them.

This story was originally published July 15, 2021 at 5:00 AM.