Presenter: Hello and welcome! This is Dogs Are Our Best Friends. Our guest today is Bentley, a 7-year-old golden retriever, well-known in our town as an "audience dog". Bentley is accompanied by his proud owner Mark Thompson. Good morning, Mark! Great to see you both in our studio today!

Mark: Hello! Great to be here! And thank you for the toy you gave Bentley  — it looks like he's having fun with it!

Presenter: My pleasure! Mark, while Bentley is playing with his new toy, could you tell us what exactly an "audience dog" is?

Mark: Sure! Audience dogs are used in speech therapy and public speaking practice. Some people jokingly call them "public speaking coaches", which is true to some extent.

Presenter: How can a dog help you learn to speak in public?

Mark: Well, as a radio host, you don't stand in front of your listeners, but you still know that thousands are listening to you. Do you remember your first day on the job?

Presenter: Will I ever forget it? I was so nervous, my hands were shaking the whole day! My tongue and lips wouldn't listen to me. It was a disaster.

Mark: Exactly! Public speaking is scary! Even practicing gives some people anxiety, especially if they're practicing in front of a teacher or even a mirror. But with a calm and quiet dog like Bentley as your listener, you feel more comfortable. Dogs create a low-stress environment. They give you a sense of non-judgmental presence that boosts your confidence.

Presenter: Have dogs been doing this for a long time?

Mark: I'm not quite sure. But I do know it began with little kids who had trouble learning to read. Some had emotional or psychological challenges, and reading out loud to dogs helped because they knew the dog wouldn't criticize or judge them if they made mistakes. The dog would simply sit there, listening and wagging its tail. That helped so many kids!

Presenter: How did Bentley become an audience dog?

Mark: We live next to a university, so, every morning Bentley and I jog on the campus grounds. Then, while I stretch, Bentley watches me. One day, a lady approached us asking if Bentley might like to volunteer in their audience dog program. I was curious, and I think, Bentley was too! We tried and loved it! And the students at the university loved it too!

Presenter: So, it's a volunteering program? You don't get anything from it?

Mark: If you mean money  — no, we don't. But students love bringing treats for Bentley. Treats and friends  — that's what he gets! As for me, it just gives me a warm fuzzy feeling that we are helping. One student had to give a speech in front of four thousand people on graduation day. She was terrified. But after practicing with Bentley, she did it beautifully! I watched the ceremony online and was happy for her. She later told me that during her speech, she just imagined there were four thousand Bentleys listening. That cracked me up! So, yeah, I get lots of laughs, too!

Presenter: That's wonderful! So, can any dog be an audience dog?

Mark: No. Bentley was chosen by the University Business School psychologist  — the lady who approached us first. She had seen us several times while on her way to work and noticed how focused Bentley was watching me do my exercises. Not every dog has that focus. I bet, a chihuahua or Jack Russel wouldn't have a long enough attention span! There's also a certification process. The dogs have to be safe for students. So, they need to obey commands, be calm in different situations, be focused even when there are distractions, and of course fully vaccinated. That sort of thing. (fades out)