He sits very still while his owner Elle Morgan-Thomas guides their hands down his back, and for a moment, the sensation might stir a flash of memory, maybe even a smile.

“There’s something quite disarming about dogs,” says owner Elle Morgan-Thomas. “They seems to be able to touch somebody who’s in a very vulnerable or confused state.”

Henry is a Delta Society therapy dog whose become something of a sensation at the aged care home in Chiswick. Every Saturday, he and Elle visit for 90 minutes, bringing a much needed dose of humour and connection to the residents.

“We enter the facility and he’s full of beans and ready to go. The concept of him trying to do one-on-one work when he’s that energetic just doesn’t work,” she laughs. “But if he gets mobbed, if six older people want to come and pat him, he’s quite happy.

Wearing his trademark bow tie, Henry begins his rounds in the common areas, sitting with residents, enjoying group cuddles, performing tricks including his signature ‘fist-pump’.

“He’s a funny little character. He’s often sniffing for crumbs because old people drop their biscuits a lot.”

It’s one of the highlights of the week for residents, says Pauline, who lives at the facility.

“Henry is so excited to come and see us, we love to see him doing his tricks, he is very well trained and a great therapy dog,” she says.

Resident Margaret agreed:“I think it’s lovely, it’s exciting, I like Henry”

After the excitement of the common room, a calmer Henry heads off to visit the Alzheimer’s and dementia ward. There’s a wider spectrum of behaviours here; some residents are withdrawn, others rarely talk. Some patients just like to watch him, he’s something to focus on, but for others, the physical contact is a major mood booster.

“Especially the residents who had dogs before they went into care, they’ll often tell stories, and have recollections about their own dogs and their own families and it gets them talking and interacting. You can watch someone come to life.”

ELLE, 29, a strategy consultant, has spent every Saturday for the past year visiting the Chiswick home with Henry as a Delta Society volunteer. She’s passionate about their work, because she knows how much a little dog can help.

“I have a history of depression and anxiety myself, and I had been through a particularly rough patch about six and a half years ago,” she says. “I was on countless medications and seeing multiple doctors and at one point, was even hospitalised.”

Elle’s mum encouraged her to get a dog to give her something positive to focus on. Henry was found in a backyard litter in Bathurst and it was love at first sight. “He had the little one-eye patch, and kind of looked a little bit like a puppy pirate and I think I just sort of knew.”

Henry became a reason to get out of the house, a responsibility. He needed constant care, walks, training. But it was his companionship that counted the most.

“Those sorts of illnesses make you feel so alone and in those moments I had Henry,” she says. “He’s been integral in so many parts of my recovery from those conditions and still plays a great role in my day to day emotional support.

“I wouldn’t be here today without Henry and I don’t say that lightly.”

Wanting to share her experience, Elle found the Delta Society, completed the therapy dog training and the pair began volunteering. Henry has the perfect temperament for his role with the elderly, and his bond with Elle means she can read him if things get challenging.

“The issue we have encountered most often is a lack of gentleness, for want of better words,” she said. “Some patients may not be able to manipulate their hand into a suitable position to pat him properly so they kind of just boop him on the head.”

At other times, patients whose fine motor skills have declined can accidentally ‘clench’ their hands and grip his fur or tail a little intensely.

“He understands that these things happen and he knows to look to me for support if he is feeling uncomfortable. I guess that’s part of the bond between him and I and the trust we have.”

DESPITE 395 Delta therapy dogs working across the Sydney region, there are still 200 facilities waiting for a dog like Henry, says Liz Woodward, Delta’s national manager.

The work of a therapy dog is extremely broad; they visit schools, workplaces, mental health institutions, aged care homes, even prisons including the aged care and mental health units at Long Bay.

“Sometimes the volunteers work one-on-one with inmates. They use the dogs to teach the prisoners empathy and try to rebuild that,” says Liz. “I was there one day and an elderly man was having a cuddle with a dog and he was crying, and he said, ‘I’m a lifer, I haven’t touched another living thing for 38 years’.”

Therapy dogs are not assistance dogs, which are trained to focus only on their owner. Instead they are trained to react and respond to their environment, guided by their owners. Liz says research showed in aged care facilities, therapy dogs could reduce stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure and assist with pain management by getting residents moving.

“When the volunteers come in with their dogs, it makes residents happy and it really lifts the mood,” Liz says. “Socially, it’s really good, it’s gets them up, out of their room and interacting with other people and there’s a mutual topic to talk about for quite a few days after.

“It also helps in a cognitive way. They’ll often talk to our volunteers about dogs they used to have so it stimulates memory, it also just gives them a nice feeling, there’s a calming effect.”

BEFORE Henry heads home from Opal manor, he spends one-on-one time with several residents who for medical reasons, rarely leave their rooms.

Among them is Pat, she’s always his last stop, and the pair have developed a special bond. Bed-bound with poor mobility and few relatives close by, Henry’s weekly visits have been a delight for the former dance teacher, who is so enamoured by the Little Dog, at one stage her sister in Queensland thought she was dating a bloke in the nursing home.

“She calls Henry her baby, and she has a picture of him in her room,” says Elle.

“When we started seeing her on a weekly basis, she started sitting up that little big straighter when she saw us coming. She was very enthusiastic.

“Her and I talk now, we know enough about each other, and we’ll talk and laugh until we cry.

Pat now receives regular visits from fellow residents, who drop in for a Henry update.

“Everyone knows Pat and Henry are a thing. It’s quite adorable.”

You can Follow Henry and Elle on Instagram at @henrythejrtx

You can donate to the Delta Dog therapy program here.