A friendly little dog is proving her worth as a pet therapist at an Alexandra retirement village.

Named Petal, the shih tzu-maltese-wheaten devotes her time alongside her owner Anne Davies at Alexandra's Ranui
Court Retirement Village.

Petal spends time in the lounge areas of the home as a Saint John Outreach Therapy Pet, a joint initiative with the SPCA.

At the moment, they make fortnightly visits to Ranui, where Petal's role is simply to be pampered by residents who want to show her affection and chat to her.

In the future, Petal may get further employment by helping school children reading to her one-on-one.