Category Archives: therapy dog

Getting Back In The Therapy Dog Saddle

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Houndstooth| 22 Comments

Last night was a night I’ve looked forward to and been nervous about for a few weeks now. It was our first visit to the nursing home after Laurie passed away a few weeks ago. I hadn’t ever anticipated that I’d be in the position of visiting and feeling emotionally vulnerable at the same time. The only previous time that has been an issue for me was after my first therapy dog passed away and I started over with Bunny.

However, I feel that it’s important for us to go. For many of the people we visit, we’re the only special visitors that they’ll have all month. Bunny works a special kind of magic with them. It doesn’t matter if the Alzheimer’s patients can remember all the words when they talk to her. It only matters that she’s patient, warm and responds to them. She makes eye contact and waits patiently for them to interact in whatever way they are able to.

I Heart You -- Tales And TailsThe truth is, therapy dogs do a lot for people’s health and well-being just by their presence. People’s heart rates lower, they smile and relax more and it jogs the memories of many of the people we see. One lady tells me a story about her dog, Daisy, who was a circus dog before she got her and knew tons of tricks. Another lady keeps a special stash of treats in her room for the dogs. It’s obviously something a lot of the residents look forward to.

I find that it’s good for me, as well. No matter what kind of crazy day vie had teaching PreK, I’m always glad I got back in the car and drove over to the nursing home with Bunny. I find that while I’m there visiting, a lot of my cares slip away. It reminds me not to waste my youth on worries when I could be making memories. It relaxes me, too and I find myself smiling and laughing more during and after our visits.

Finally, I think it’s good for Bunny, too. She doesn’t hesitate about going up to people to get attention and let them pet her. Her tail wags while we’re there and after we’re done. She sleeps hard when we get home, so I know she’s gotten a physical and mental workout. If I didn’t think she enjoyed it, and I have had dogs that I felt did not, I wouldn’t keep taking her. Actually, she’s doing so well that I’m considering doing some hospice work with her.

The Kiss -- Tales And TailsI think a lot of times when we think about our dogs being in good shape, we forget that there’s more to it than just the physical body. Being stimulated by different experiences is just as important for our dogs as it is for humans. If we keep them in the same routine, we put them at higher risk for Canine Cognitive Disorder. They need to smell new smells and see different things just as much as we do to keep having good mental health.

In the end, I am glad we went back last night.  There were some people who really needed to see the dogs and Bunny needed a chance to work her magic.  I needed a chance to remember why I love doing the visits, and last night was a great opportunity for that.  Once we got started, I really didn’t have time to dwell on losses, just on the warm glow that doing a good deed provides.

FitDog FridayIt’s the FitDog Friday Blog Hop sponsored by Peggy’s Pet Place and SlimDoggy.  It’s a chance to blog about pet fitness news, diet and nutrition, healthy activities, ways to exercise with your dog, photos of your dog in agility, or anything related to health, exercising and burning calories together with your furry best friend.

Posted in Bunny, dogs, Greyhound, Paw to Paw, pets, therapy dog, things that turn out to be right

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The Best Therapy

Posted on April 27, 2013 by Houndstooth| 34 Comments

Dog Tag -- Tales And TailsThere are things that happen in our personal lives that I don’t write about on the blog, and there have been some things that I’ve wanted to talk about but haven’t, because it just seems too personal for public reading.  The truth is, I’ve been surprised several times lately by people who I know in real life who have talked about things they’ve read on the blog.  It’s a reminder that the world can be a much larger and smaller place than you thought it was at the same time.

I debated about whether to write today’s blog post, but I feel like I can do the subject justice, so I’m sharing it in hopes that it honors a person who has enriched our lives in ways I never realized or expected.  You see, before Bunny, there was a perfect brindle Greyhound named Treat who was so wonderful that I couldn’t not share her with the rest of the world.  I’d heard about therapy dogs and wanted to try it, but I had no idea about how to get started beyond taking Treat to a basic obedience class.  I knew she had the personality for it, but I didn’t know where to start about finding a place to visit with her, and I am a generally shy person in real life.  I was squeamish about just going to a nursing home and asking if I could bring my dog in there.

Looking for the Pot of Gold -- Tales And TailsAs it turned out, a good friend of ours, Luka’s mom, actually, was doing nursing home visits with her dog and she invited us to go and visit with the group she visited with.  That was how I became involved with Paw To Paw.  I met the lady who was in charge, named Laurie, and felt immediately comfortable and at ease about doing the visits.  That was thirteen years ago.  Since then, Treat died and I enjoyed doing the visits so much that I went back to the adoption kennel and got Bunny so I could keep doing the therapy dog visits.  Doing nursing home visits became a labor of love for us.  Some nights we thought we were too tired to go visit, but we were always glad we got back out the door and went to the nursing home.  I can’t tell you how many smiles we’ve seen there over the years.

Last week, Laurie passed away, much too soon, after a very tough battle with cancer.  She was a lot of things to a lot of people.  Laurie was one of those people who lit up a room with a smile and made everyone feel important in her presence. It’s no wonder she was so good at doing nursing home visits.  She had a gift for just being with people.  One of her deepest loves was dogs and animals, too.  She deeply loved her own dogs as well as all of the dogs who did our therapy visits, and well, any dog she came across.  I don’t think there was ever a dog who didn’t love Laurie.

Exhausted -- Tales And TailsAfter I learned she’d passed away, I struggled with what I could do, in my own small way, to honor the memory of a person who seemed much larger than life.  When I learned of the funeral visitation arrangements, I made a phone call and began to think about whether I was brave enough to make the gesture I wanted to make.  After work yesterday, it was time for me to go home, change and make my final decision, and I’m glad I decided to do it.

Mr. Taleteller and I went to the funeral visitation with Bunny in tow.  She wore her Paw to Paw tags and one of her very best collars.  We stood in line for over two and a half hours to pay our respects to her partner, who is also a friend, and her family.  I can’t think of a time I was more proud of my little Greyhound.  Bunny stood without fussing, allowed countless people to come and pet her and laid down during standstills and waited patiently.  She was an exemplary example for therapy dogs everywhere and a true tribute to Laurie and all the work that she did for so many years.

When we finally got up to the line of Laurie’s family, one of her best friends was standing with her mom at the beginning of the line.  We introduced ourselves and Bunny and that was the moment when I was sure I’d made the right decision.  Laurie’s mom got teary-eyed and kept saying “She would have loved this!” as she stroked Bunny’s head.  Almost every one of Laurie’s siblings said the same thing, and one of them even gave Bunny a piece of cheese.  She accepted every hug and stroke on the head with grace and compassion.  At the end of the line was Laurie’s life partner whom we’ve also known for thirteen years, and she smiled through tears and said the same thing.  ”Laurie would have just loved this!  She would have thought it was the best!”

Dog Tired -- Tales And TailsI was really nervous that someone there might be offended by being in the company of a dog at a funeral home, but my worries were unfounded.  We really brought her for the benefit of one person, but it turns out that she was good for a lot of people.  I have heard of people inviting therapy dogs to funerals and visitations before, but I have never attended one personally where a therapy dog was working.  After our experience, I’m surprised that more funeral homes don’t have therapy dogs in residence or on call.  Bunny seemed to be a magnet for everyone there, and we answered a lot of questions about her for people.  Her presence definitely put a lot of people at ease.  She was exhausted by the time we were done, but she was still a little sweetheart to one and all.

I can definitely say that I’m glad I took her.  I didn’t really think she’d affect many people or that many would know she was there, but her quiet presence spoke louder than any words I could have spoken about what a fantastic legacy Laurie created.  We were incredibly lucky to have learned from her and to have known her for the past thirteen years.  Laurie will be greatly missed by many, but we will do our best to honor her memory by continuing to visit and bring smiles to others with our dogs.

pet-blogger-hop-badgeWe’re participating in this Saturday’s Pet Blog Hop, hosting by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume.  If you’d like to participate, please follow the rules and follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste the html code into your html editor.  Thanks again to our hosts for putting on the hop!

Posted in Bunny, dogs, Greyhound, Paw to Paw, pets, therapy dog

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Why Thank You

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Houndstooth| 31 Comments

When we go places with the dogs, Bunny always gets a lot of compliments and attention.  I admit that I take pride in all the compliments she receives.  Last night at the nursing home was another example of how sweet she is.  Everyone she met adored her and talked about how sweet and good she is.  She enjoyed every second of the attention, too.

Bloom Where You're PlantedShe certainly isn’t humble.  The truth is, she doesn’t need to be.  Bunny is all of the things that everyone said about her.  Sometimes I wish I could say that I exaggerate some of her goodness, but I really don’t.  When someone compliments her or fusses over her, though, she accepts it with a tail wag and sometimes a gentle sniff of the hand.  It’s her own polite little thank you.

Yesterday I also got a really nice compliment on the blog from someone on Google +, and my first reaction was to downplay it.  I am always turned off by braggarts.  One of the things I try hard not to be is too full of myself.  It’s not that I don’t think I’m good at writing the blog, or writing in general, but I’m not a self-promoter by any stretch of the imagination.  I’m just not comfortable making a big deal over myself.

Thinking of SpringHowever, it struck me that many times, we humans are too hard on ourselves.  Sometimes we should give ourselves credit.  I’m not saying that we should puff out our chests and make ourselves out to be more than we are, but perhaps we should accept the fact that we are good at something.  I know that it’s much easier to accept that we aren’t good at something.  However, if you don’t believe in yourself to a degree, you can’t go as far as your potential allows.

It struck me that perhaps I should try to take a page out of Bunny’s playbook.  When someone says something nice, simply accept the compliment with a smile and a thank you instead of using it as an excuse to put yourself down.  Old habits die hard for me, but I am going to try to do my best to be gracious in accepting kind words and gestures, without adding some kind of deference at the end.  After all, Bunny seems to be doing pretty well with that arrangement, so hopefully it will work for me, as well.

Spring Whimsy

 

We’d also like to add a thank you to Pip and Puddles for keeping us laughing and making the world a funnier place.  You two are bright spots in the blog world and we love you for it!

Pip and Puddles

Posted in Bunny, dogs, Greyhound, thank you, therapy dog

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Looking Forward

Posted on March 1, 2013 by Houndstooth| 36 Comments

We’ve been talking about Küster and his training from time to time. It’s a little scary to realize that he’ll be old enough to take his Search and Rescue test next month, although we are planning for him to take his test in October, because he still needs to master obedience. I think he’ll get it, or else my husband will die trying to teach it to him.

However, Küs isn’t the only one facing a test this year. Bunny and I are planning to take a test to be a therapy dog team, too. The idea frightens me and is also exciting at the same time. I’m a notoriously bad test taker, but so far, we’ve passed the first part of our testing. In the future, we’ll be taking the performance part of the test. Bunny has already passed her Canine Good Citizen test, but there is another part of the therapy dog test that she has to pass. I will be praying that it doesn’t happen to be the day she pulls a diva routine and acts like she’s never heard the word down or sit. Most of the time she will do it, but once in a while, she gets a wild hair pretends she can’t even hear me when I speak those words.

Hands On BunnyBunny already is a therapy dog. She’s been visiting nursing homes for the past several years, and she generally does very well with it. We are covered by our home owner’s insurance if some sort of accident were to happen. However, I still want us to take and pass this test. It’s a goal we’re working towards, and one that I hope we can achieve. It will give us a little extra validity if we can say that we have officially passed the test and it might open up a few new visiting opportunities for us.

Paw In HandAs we’ve been working through the online course, I’ve been thinking a lot about our partnership. To do therapy work, you really do have to be a team with your dog. You both have to know how to read each other and have a pretty good idea about what the other will do. I don’t think all dogs are cut out for doing therapy visits, but I believe that Bunny is one of those dogs who is. She’s calm and poised, and she is friendly with just about everyone. When we go into the nursing home, she knows that it’s time to get to work, and she handles it well. We have a few areas we need to polish up before we take our test, but I think they are things that we can get straight very easily. At this point, I feel that she is an extension of my arm, and that I am an extension of hers as well. I know what she’s doing, and most of the time, I can anticipate what she will do with alarming accuracy. I am guessing that she usually has a pretty good idea about me, too. That is one of the best aspects about a partnership, in my opinion.

I’ve never doubted that my husband and Küster will pass their test with flying colors. They still have some growing to do, but knowing both of them the way I do, I know that they will get there and be successful. I wish I had Küster’s confidence in my own abilities. He certainly never has doubts. It’s always just a game to be figured out in his mind. I can’t picture Bunny having any doubts, either. She’s always just trying to figure out what I want of her or how to get more attention from her adoring public. In my heart, I know that we won’t have too much trouble unless something unforeseen happens.

Now, it’s just a matter of getting the courage up to send a few e-mails and see if there’s someone who would be willing to evaluate us. There isn’t anyone in our area, so it will require a few hours of driving. I feel like now that we’ve come this far, we have to go the rest of the way. So right now, I’m the biggest hindrance to accomplishing my goal, which is something I need to remember. Here’s hoping that I don’t become my own worst stumbling block and we can get ourselves through the evaluation so we can make it to the end. Whether we pass or not, we are still a successful team. I guess passing the evaluation will just make us seem more official.

Posted in Bunny, dogs, Greyhound, pets, therapy dog, therapy dog test

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Things You Don’t Expect At The Dog Park

Posted on November 20, 2012 by Houndstooth| 32 Comments

This past weekend was so beautiful that we had to take advantage and get out some.  Morgan has been a little nutty lately and we knew that taking her to the dog park for a chance to really blow off some steam would help a lot.  We opted to just take Morgan and Bunny, mainly because it’s easier.  Blueberry usually doesn’t enjoy it for very long, and Morgan needs a lot more time there.  Küster loves everybody and every dog, but because he’s a working dog, he isn’t neutered.  Some people at the dog park can be funny about that, and sometimes there are other male dogs there that have issue with it.  We don’t take him during times when it will be really high traffic now because of that.

Hey There, KidI knew it would be busy when we went, but I was still surprised by the number of people and dogs there when we arrived.  It seemed like a friendly, laid back mix of dogs, though, so we went in with Bunny and Mo.  They both headed off with their own agendas.  Bunny likes to leave her calling card all over the park and sniff every blade of grass while Morgan runs off to do a head check of all the other dogs and see who will play with her.  Soon, both of the girls had found other dogs that they were interested in socializing with and we were done taking care of Bunny’s calling cards.

Gratuitous Action ShotIt was turning out to be a pretty normal day at the dog park.  Bunny and Morgan were both enjoying just being dogs, sniffing the grass and running around.  Bunny even did a few laps to amuse the crowd.  I’m not sure exactly how to describe it, but this is down town for them.  They both get to just do what interests them and follow their noses.  I don’t call them to me or fuss at them not to do many things, aside from avoiding poop and digging holes.  I let them be dogs.  In our lives, we go out with them a lot and we have expectations of them, that they’ll behave in a certain way and do what we ask of them.

As Bunny was investigating the park, she caught the attention of a little girl who was probably around four years old.  I’m not certain, but I suspect it was the pink jacket that did it.  Whatever the reason, this girl was obsessed with my dog.  The mother’s calls across the park were doing nothing to deter her, and she was too lazy to walk over and retrieve her child.  Bunny’s body language told me when she’d had enough of the girl’s attention and I started making my way towards them.  I know that Bunny wouldn’t snap at the girl, and that wasn’t my worry.  My concern was the girl grabbing her around the neck and possibly hurting her.  I began to notice Morgan circling nearby, too, and decided that my intervention would be better than Morgan’s.  Morgan really likes young children, too, but my bet is that her loyalty lies with her pack mates.

Go Away Little GirlAs I was making my way over, Mr. Taleteller got to her first.  He got her by the ring on her collar and began leading her across the park.  I wasn’t sure what he was doing, but I was curious.  I began following them, and when I got close enough to ask him quietly, I asked if he needed her leash.  He told me no and I stood back, waiting to see what he was up to.

To my surprise, he led Bunny over to a young man who was sitting on the ground amongst the leaves.  My husband began telling him a little about Bunny and the man began feeling her face, neck and legs.  As I walked up, I realized that he was blind.  He was obviously really enjoying meeting Bunny, and she was patiently allowing him to touch her and get to know her.  He introduced himself to both of us, along with his friend.  Thomas was there with his guide dog, Gilley.  He recently moved to our area and his friend knew about the park.  Gilley was there for some down time of his own, but he dutifully returned every few minutes when Thomas called him.

Meeting ThomasIt was pretty obvious that Thomas loved dogs.  He smiled broadly when any of them would stop beside him for a few minutes.  Morgan stood for a brief minute and let him pet her, although she stood there for a much longer time while Thomas was inspecting Bunny.  He asked his companion often what the different dogs were doing, and he asked about them by name.   He also was very keen to know what Gilley was doing.

Leaping For JoyMost of the other dogs didn’t have the patience to stand and let him get to know them for very long.  I give Bunny a lot of credit for being so gracious, especially after being stalked by the little girl.  She was much kinder and gentler than I would have been.  It’s so easy to get caught up in our own world of wants and needs and forget that there are others out there who just need a minute or two of our time.  Something that costs us so little can be a priceless treasure to someone else.

Posted in Bunny, dog, dog park, dogs, German Shepherd, Greyhound, Morgan, pets, therapy dog

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The Other End Of The Therapy Dog Leash

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Houndstooth| 20 Comments

A few weeks ago, I was asked if I’d talk about what it’s like to be the other half of a therapy dog team.  I’ve spent a little time ruminating on it, and I am finally feeling like I can do the topic justice.  As Bunny and I begin to put plans in place to take our test and become official members of a certified group, I’ve thought some about what it means to me.

Thursday night, I went to see the new  Trans Siberian Orchestra concert.  I am a big fan of their music, and seeing their concerts is an experience like nothing else.  You can feel the heat from the flames when they really get going, or be snowed on during some of the prettier songs.  I can’t imagine how much work goes into perfecting the craft and art of a lot of people to make that show the magical sensation that it is.  While I sat watching it, an analogy for how Bunny and I work as a team came to me.

Hello Me!At a certain point during the concert, they took a break where all the musicians were named for the audience and given a chance to be recognized.  For this incredible show to go on, they have a large group of people who happily work behind the scenes to create the magic.  The stage is set, the snow falls, the fire erupts at precisely the right moment and the show goes off without a hitch.  Bunny and I have to work together to produce our own kind of show, we just work on a much smaller scale.

There’s no doubt about it, the dogs are the rock stars of therapy dog visits.  People wouldn’t remember me or really care that I was there if I weren’t holding the other end of Bunny’s leash.  The truth is, I’m very okay with that.  I’m not a person who wants to draw a lot of attention to herself, I’m comfortable operating in the background.  My job is to let Bunny shine and work her magic with the people we go to visit.

I spend time working with Bunny to teach her certain behaviors that help when we go to visit.  She knows basic obedience, although she will deny it if asked in public.  She also knows “leave it.”  This is very important for visiting the nursing home.  There are things we encounter there that are dangerous and potentially deadly for her.  There could be medicine on the floor, or even mixed in with some of the residents’ desserts.  Almost every time we visit there, ice cream is being enjoyed by the residents.  A lot of times, they want to offer the ice cream to her, and they don’t always ask me.  If I tell her “leave it” she had darned well better listen.  She might sulk and give me the hairy eyeball the rest of the night, but she’ll be around to visit with me the next time we go.  I usually carry treats with me for her to help reinforce certain behaviors, and if someone really has their heart set on offering her something, I will give that to them as a substitute.  This will usually pacify either side.

The other thing that I’ve taught her is to “go say hi” which is Bunny’s cue to go up to someone for petting or attention.  She will walk up to someone and stand quietly for them to pet her or at least go up close so they can see her.  I use this command when we’re out and about, too, if someone asks if they can see or pet her.  It’s her cue to be patient and social.

Pink and Blue Make PurpleMy point is that we have our little communications between us that allow us to work as a team.  I can say these things to Bunny and it usually seems as if she’s naturally that friendly and gracious.  There are times when we visit and people have a lot of questions about her that I am happy to answer.  I know that when I go in, almost all of the conversation will be about Bunny or about dogs that the people we visit have had in their lives.

Sometimes the people we meet have a lot to say, and will ask a lot of questions.  In the Alzheimer’s wing, I might answer the same question for the same person ten times during a visit, but I don’t mind.  They are genuinely interested in the dogs, it’s probably the wing where they get the most attention, but short term memory isn’t a strong suit for them.  Other times, talking about dogs leads to tales of dogs past and some other interesting and entertaining stories about life in a bygone time.

Other times, we meet people who are unable to talk or don’t wish to.  Many of them are content to rest their hands on her silky head or speak a few words to her themselves.  Bunny is a good listener, and most of the time, she lends an ear and a warm lean to the people who seem to need it the most.  It doesn’t bother her at all if they don’t have anything to say.

Lavender StardustI tend to think that most of the magic that happens when we do our nursing home visits comes from Bunny.  She just has a quiet, steady presence about her and she’s always possessed it.  However, I have to know how to let her work that magic with people who need it, and that’s what makes us a team.  I know how she’ll react when someone offers her a yogurt cup or a peanut butter sandwich.  She knows what I mean when I communicate with her.  I know what she means when she communicates with me, too.  If she’s not comfortable with someone or she’s had enough of visiting, I can feel that and we move on.

The truth of the matter is that the leash is a two way communication device for us.  There is no most important end of the leash, either.  Both ends have to be engaged to make a therapy dog team successful.  It doesn’t work when one of us isn’t engaged.  When it works right, though, it definitely brings a little magic into someone else’s day.

Pet Blogger Hop BadgeWe’re participating in this Saturday’s Pet Blog Hop, hosting by Life With Dogs, Two Little Cavaliers and Confessions of the Plume.  If you’d like to participate, please follow the rules and follow your three hosts, add your blog to the Linky and copy and paste the html code into your html editor.  Thanks again to our hosts for putting on the hop!

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Posted in Bunny, dogs, Greyhound, therapy dog, therapy dog test

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