BENTON COUNTY, Ark — The Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) Runway Rovers program started in 2017 but took a break during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Now it's back and looking for more volunteers to share their furry friends with passengers.
Let's meet the dogs on duty!
Honey: Golden Retriever
- Owner: Beth Robinson
- Home: Rogers, AR
- Runway Rover since 7/19/2017
Haylee: Golden Retriever
- Owner: Julie Jarrett
- Home: Rogers, AR
- Runway Rover since 8/24/2017
Poe: Newfoundland
- Owner: Larry Gramling
- Home: Centerton, AR
- Runway Rover since 2022 (owner with the program since 2017)
The certified therapy dogs and their owners roam the airport, spreading happiness throughout the terminal.
"We have the best volunteers. I mean, they really are the sweetest, kindest humans that love dogs, they love people, they love being a support system for those that might have some stress with flying," said Alex English, XNA Public Affairs Manager.
Volunteer Larry Gramling has been with the program since its inception, first with Obi, and now with five-year-old Newfoundland Lord Apophis, the gentle giant also known as Poe.
"This is one of my absolute favorite places," Gramling said. "I can come home from work, brush him a little bit, get him ready, load him up and come up here and hang out for an hour or two... And I always look to see if there’s an Orlando flight because there’s always kids, right? That’s our favorite!"
"My daughter has been wanting to chase the dogs around the entire time that we’ve been up here!" exclaimed Braden Paterson, XNA passenger.
As a father of two, Paterson says he appreciated the distraction for his little ones waiting to board their flight to Disney.
"I think it makes a big difference, too, just easing anxiety and you’re not thinking about all the extra stress, like, trying to rush through the airport and - it was cool," Paterson said.
The Runway Rovers and their owners are easy to spot — decked out in matching vests, logoed leashes and even hand out trading cards. Gramling says the best part is the reaction he gets from people the moment they see Poe.
"It’s almost a universal smile on somebody’s face, usually a big one," Gramling said.
The program has dwindled from more than a dozen pooches to only a handful, but the airport wants to build it back up.
"So we’re looking to expand that. We’re really hoping that more people, now that the mask mandate has been lifted and people are a little bit more comfortable with coming to the airport, that we’ll have more volunteers here with their dogs," English said.
"It’s a lot of fun. It’s a LOT of fun! And if you have a dog that is good with people and good with other dogs, therapy dog work is probably one of the more rewarding and easiest things to do to give back to the community," Gramling said.
And flexible as there's no set schedule for volunteers. So next time you're traveling to or from Northwest Arkansas, look for one of the Runway Rovers to heel your pet lag.
There are a few requirements to become a Runway Rover. The handler must be at least 18 years old and your dog must be certified as a therapy dog through one of three different nonprofits.
You can apply for the XNA Runway Rovers program here.
Gramling says if you have any questions about getting a therapy dog, you can reach out to him through Helping Paws of NWA.
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