Team Therapy Dogs
Texas is reopening in phases, and as students and workers head back to school and work for the first time in months, stress and anxiety are high.
Luckily, for those who will need help adjusting to the new normal and manage the pressure, The Go Team Therapy Dogs will be here to help.
Program coordinator Jerilyn Cordova said the team’s goal is to “help bring some normalcy back to life.”
“I mean a lot of these kids haven’t been in school,” she said.
The Corpus Christi team was founded in 2014 to help first responders cope with the stress of their jobs. Now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, they are available to help everyone else handle the stress of getting back to everyday life.
Each dog has its own unique talent: the “A-Team,” if you will, when it comes to thier jobs.
Molly is the gentle veteran of the group.
“(She) is probably one of our most passive dogs,” Cordova said. “She loves to hug and just lean on people.”
Daisy, a dog owned by Casey Wirick, helps kids and teenagers going through the juvenile court system.
“She will push her way through, go to the one person and you can just feel the tension release,” Wirick said.
Robert Seals’ dog, Shuggie, has been his own personal therapy dog as well as helping out others.
Having had multiple surgeries over the course of a few years, he has seen the benefits the animals can have, saying Shuggie has been a huge help for him during this time of need.
“The love that she gives me and the patience — she stays with me,” Seals said. “If I can’t walk wherever, she sits right there with me.”
The dogs are calm and well-trained. When they go to schools, they are absolute rock stars.
“The dogs come in and you just see all these smiles and the kids scream ‘Dog!’,” Wirick said.
Each dog has its own card, so clients can call to request for an outing.
As we advance further into the new world, the Go Team Therapy Dogs are around to make sure we don’t have to do it alone.
Maizy Spreads Joy
Dogs are well known for spreading joy and love, but Miss Maizy has taken it a step further as a therapy dog.
Miss Maizy’s owner Leanne Pearce said animal-assisted therapy is an important service.
“Having experienced first-hand how my very own dog Maizy impacted my social, physical and emotional wellbeing I wanted to share Maizy with others,” Leanne said.
“After completing study about animal assisted therapy and how our canine pals are being increasingly used as participants in a myriad of mental health, social and educational programs, it ignited my passion once again to deliver a pet therapy service to my local community of Bundaberg.
“I set up my own business and became fully insured to provide this service.
“I approached aged care facilities in Bundaberg about my pet therapy service and was fortunate enough to have three facilities employ me to visit with Maizy and thus our journey began.”
Miss Maizy Pet Therapy has been operating for more than two years.
“Maizy and I started visiting aged care facilities in April, 2018,” she said.
“During this time Maizy and I undertook six months of therapy dog and handler training through Tessa Stow, counsellor and service dog trainer at K9 Support.
Maizy is a Maltese-cross-Fox Terrier and, as a therapy dog, her role is to react and respond to recipients in their own environment under the guidance and direction of her handler, in conjunction with a provider to work towards a specific therapeutic goal.
“A cuddle and a pat from Miss Maizy and offering a chat sparks talking and laughing,” Leanne said.
“Maizy is encouraged to interact with a variety of people who love dogs.
“Spending time with Maizy helps shift focus from many aliments such as depression, chronic pain or feelings of isolation.
“Maizy is also known to entertain with a trick or two for special treats.”
Before COVID-19 Miss Maizy and Leanne were contracted to provide pet therapy to five local facilities.
With restrictions now easing they hope to be able to visit the aged care facilities and would like to broaden their scope.
“My future goal is to work in hospitals and schools,” Leanne said.
“I would like to introduce a reading program to primary schools, Stories with Miss Maizy.
“The popularity of using therapy dogs in schools to assist staff and students in various ways has many benefits such as decreasing leaner anxiety and enhancing student communication with peers and teachers due to experiencing trust and unconditional love from a canine friend.”
K-9 Pups
There are plush versions of each Wausau K-9 officer.
That includes patrol dogs Max, Astor, Rio and Zanto. Therapy dogs Badge and Theo are also in the lineup.
Officer Shawn Fritsh said the sales support the K-9 teams over the course of the year.
It’s a way the unit works to be self-sufficient.
“The less we can rely on taxpayer money to fund the K-9 program and we can self-fund that program through donations and through fundraising activities,” explained Fritsch. “It’s just a win-win for the community.”
The police department sells the plushies for $15 each at their front desk.
Wausau PD has sold the plush-versions of their K-9 officers for several years now.
Paws For People
For PAWS for People, pet therapy is all about building a personal connection. When a PAWS team visits someone – whether it’s a shy kindergartener, a lonely nursing home resident or a hospital patient in need of a distraction – the goal is to brighten the person’s day with a few minutes of interacting with a dog and its owner.
Therefore, when the pandemic hit Delaware in March, closing schools and businesses and making visits to hospitals and nursing homes unsafe, it brought the Newark-based organization and its nearly 600 pet therapy teams to a grinding halt.
Gradually, though, PAWS started thinking about how it could adapt to the new normal.
“We’ve become very visual,” founder and executive director Lynne Robinson said, explaining that PAWS is now aiming to spread joy by sending photos and videos of its dogs and by conducting virtual therapy sessions over Zoom.
“There’s nothing better than hugging a puppy,” Robinson said. “But if you can’t have that, the research proves that seeing a dog, watching a dog, thinking about a dog is also therapeutic. It also releases those endorphins. Oxytocin goes up, the cortisol goes down, and people feel better. They feel more grounded, they feel more happy. They smile.”
It started casually, with a few of the volunteers sending photos and video of their dogs to the people they routinely visit. One woman even hired a production company to film a 15-minute video of her dog doing dance routines, Robinson said.
As it caught on, more teams started sending photos, and PAWS began organizing Zoom sessions.
For the libraries and schools where PAWS teams would visit to allow kids to practice their reading skills by reading to a dog, that now happens virtually. Other clients enjoy watching via livestream as the dogs do tricks or run around. At one nursing home, a staff member walks around with an iPad, allowing residents to interact with the therapy team.
“The lady can say, ‘Oh, would you give him a treat for me’ or ‘Give him a kiss,’ or that kind of thing,” Robinson said.
Even Vaughn Correctional Center, where Robinson and her dogs routinely visit, has allowed some of the prisoners to do therapy sessions over videochat.
“We visited with four or five gentlemen, and it was very interesting,” Robinson said. “They were interactive, they talked to the dog, they laughed and smiled. And every one of them said, ‘This makes it feel like home. I really missed the dogs being here.’”
PAWS hopes to begin limited in-person visits by July 1, though certain places, like hospitals and nursing homes will still be off-limits.
“The irony in this is the people who need us the most, we can’t visit,” Robinson said.
She added that PAWS has gotten requests for virtual pet therapy from as far away as California. The group limits its in-person visits to Delaware and parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
“It’s really opened up a lot of possibilities,” Robinson said.
No More Denying ESA’s
A measure that would prohibit a landlord from denying housing to a person with a disability because of their support animal arrived on Gov. Ron DeSantis‘s desk Monday evening.
The bill, SB 1084, impacts Florida’s Fair Housing Housing Act with several amendments including a prohibition of additional fees for those assisted by an emotional support animal.
SB 1084 clarifies that an animal is not required to be trained to assist a person. However, the animal must be able to alleviate a person of identified symptoms because of its presence.
Current law requires a “service animal,” such as a dog or miniature horse, to be trained to aid an individual with a disability to qualify.
Under the bill, landlords will retain the right to prohibit the animal if it poses a “direct threat” to the safety and health of others and the property under the bill. Landlords are also permitted to request written documentation from a health care practitioner from prospective tenants.
The bill stiffens penalties for a person who fabricates documentation or misrepresents the use of an emotional support animal. Those caught misrepresenting the use of an emotional support animal can be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor. Penalties for the offense include a $500 fine, community service and possible incarceration.
SB 1084 was introduced by Republican Sen. Manny Diaz Jr. of Miami-Dade and Democratic Minority Leader Pro Tempore Bill Montford.
DeSantis has until June 30 to act on the measure.
Bringing Attention To Dog Bites
If you own a dog or are in a neighborhood that has dogs, this week is one you may want to pay attention to.
We have two dogs and they are always a good first alert for anyone who walks on to our property. They are as nice as can be. However, we are very cautious when others come to the house and make sure that we keep them either in the house or on a leash when we have company.
Perhaps this week is a good one to remind your family that not everyone knows how to be comfortable and calm around dogs? I think people have are nervous around bigger dogs. Most of the large dogs that I know have a big bark, but not much bite. But it is better to be safe than sorry.
This year’s campaign is called “Be Alert — Prevent the Bite.”
The natural world—and the animals that live in it—can now exist only beyond the boundaries of the massive swaths of land people have claimed for themselves.
The global coronavirus lockdown, however, has suddenly made the sight of humans scarce. With millions of people mostly shuttered up indoors, the animal kingdom is waking up to the fact that its stomping grounds have expanded dramatically in some cases—and such a quick and radical change in human behavior has naturally led to an equally rapid shift in the behavior of the animals living among and around them.
Reports of strange behaviors, odd sightings, and straight-up neighborhood takeovers are seeping out of every corner of the world, from India and the Far East to Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Some instances are obvious—animals are simply wandering into and exploring areas that humans previously occupied. In other cases, animals that depended on humans for food are now seeking out other sources.
Others are more indirect, like massive spikes in requests for animal adoptions and fostering opportunities in some cities. In a few more sinister and upsetting cases, humans are using the crisis as a chance to exploit animals while the world’s attention is fixed on the virus.
Read More: Pay Attention For Dog Bites This Week | https://wyrk.com/pay-attention-for-dog-bites-this-week/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral
Puppy Scams
Scammers are targeting people looking to add a new puppy to their family during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Better Business Bureau report.
The report said the deadly virus has given scammers an excuse to ask for money before the customer is able to see the dog they’re looking to buy.
“Make sure that you actually see the pet you are purchasing because if you buy the pig in the poke, just based on someone’s word, you may be left in a tough situation,” West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said.
Officials are used to seeing these scams during the holiday season when people are looking to quickly purchase a pet as a present, but reports have increased greatly since the pandemic began.
“Scammers frequently take advantage of the news to find new avenues for targeting victims,” BBB president and CEO Frank Cilona said. “The uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, along with some quarantined families’ decision to adopt a pet sight unseen, has created fertile ground for fraudsters.”
One person targeted by scammers is Jeannie Clark, who went looking for a new service dog for her disabled husband on Facebook. She found a breeder that said it had Teacup Cockapoo and Cabapoo puppies and contacted them through Facebook Messenger.
Clark found the scammer’s answers to her questions surprising after they said they used a veterinarian in New York, despite claiming to be based in South Charleston.
“He said, ‘well why are you asking me all of these questions,’ and I said, ‘because I need to make sure you are legitimate, to make sure the puppy is healthy,'” Clark said. “He said, ‘oh you can believe me, I am totally legitimate.'”
Even more red flags were raised when Clark asked for a photo of the parents and was sent a stock photo of a St. Bernard. Clark said she kept pushing for answers and the supposed breeder became defensive, claiming they could get her the puppy within four to five hours if they were sent $450.
“It made me really angry that this can happen to someone else, especially my friend,” Clark said about someone she knows who lost $500 in one of these scams earlier this year. “They paid the money through Cash App which lots of times if you pay through an agency or something you feel a little more secure that you might be able to get your puppy back if something was to happen.”
BBB’s report said at least 80 percent of the sponsored advertising links that appear in an Internet search for pets may be fraudulent.
Clark ended up finding a legitimate breeder in the area through the recommendation of a trusted vet. She said that breeder let her visit with the puppy before handing over any money.
“If people see situations where there is fraud going on or they see something online, you should let our office know,” Morrisey said. “Contact our office, file a complaint, because then we will interact with Facebook and the other social media channels in an effort to clean that up.”
“At the end of the day, the best thing people can do is do their research,” Morrisey continued. “Go online and make sure there is accurate documentation, only work with a reputable entity, a reputable breeder.”
Morrisey said the best option is to visit your local animal shelter where you can see pets in need of a loving home that have been fully vetted.
Therapeutic Healing
Molly Jean Schantz, OTR/L and dog trainer is combining her Occupational Therapy practice with her dog training skills to bring Assistance Dog Training to the community. Molly is offering Assistance Dog Training to anyone with a physical or mental impairment where the dog can be of assistance to the handler. Molly works primarily with the client/handlers to teach them how to train their dogs to meet their personal needs and goals. Dogs can be trained for: mobility, balance, picking items up off the floor, turning on and off lights, carrying or holding items, seizure alert, deep pressure therapy, crowd control, waking a handler up as an alarm, opening and closing doors, assisting with activities of daily living such as making the bed or opening the fridge for an amputee as well as for companionship and safety, for example, assisting an individual with anxiety to leave the house.
Molly lost her mother to suicide in June of 2014, and shortly after, she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from the pain and anxiety that haunted her since she was the one to find her mother. Through the pain she endured, she found her Silver Lining: Gunner, her PTSD service dog. Instead of falling into a deep hole after this tragedy, she took care of herself and structured her environment in such a way that it provided her with all the ingredients that inoculate against situational depression. By training her own service dog, she was provided with daily structure, responsibility for another, meaning, and a source of positive reinforcement and love. Molly says, “The most important thing that I did after the loss of my Mom was to get a companion to help me deal with my emotions. By training my puppy to become a PTSD service dog, I created tasks for myself that required self-discipline, such as training, walking, and feeding schedules, while providing myself with structure as well as a source of joy.”
Since then, Molly has been on a journey to learn how to train these four-legged companions and now it is time to give back what was given to her. Molly’s background is in mental health with a BA in psychology and a Master’s in Occupational Therapy, she strives to help individuals lead purposeful and meaningful lives following trauma or disability. Molly utilizes a unique perspective and provides client-centered occupation-based interventions enabling her clients to maximize their potential and lead independent and meaningful lives. This strengthens the human-animal bond and is more cost effective than buying an already trained assistance animal. Assistance dogs include, but are not limited to, Service dogs, Emotional support Animals (ESA) and Home Helpmates. If you do not qualify for an assistance dog, she will also be offering private basic obedience lessons and classes for anyone looking to strengthen the bond with his or her canine companion.
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, Service Animals are defined as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. The dog must be specially trained to assist the handler with something directly related to his or her disability.
USPS Safety Tips
As pet adoptions are up around the country, more and more families are dog owners during this coronavirus pandemic.
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) said they want to encourage the public to be mindful of their pets biting postal workers.
They said employees attacked by dogs nationwide fell to 5,803 in 2019 — more than 200 fewer than in 2018, and more than 400 fewer since 2017.
The Postal Service’s National Dog Bite Awareness Week is from Sunday, June 14 through Saturday, June 20.
“Even during these difficult times, it’s important for our customers to understand that letter carriers are still coming to homes daily and need to deliver mail safely,” said USPS Safety Awareness Program Manager Chris Johnson. “We are confident we can keep moving the trends of attacks downward, and ramping up overall awareness for everyone is the best way to do that.”
They said employees have devices with them to indicate whether or not the home they are delivering mail to have a dog.
The Postal Service offers the following safety tips:
When a letter carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog in a separate room and close that door before opening the front door. Dogs have been known to burst through screen doors or plate glass windows to attack visitors.
Parents should remind children and other family members not to take mail directly from letter carriers in the presence of the family pet. The dog may view the letter carrier handing mail to a family member as a threatening gesture.
If a letter carrier feels threatened by a dog, or if a dog is loose or unleashed, the owner may be asked to pick up mail at a Post Office location or another facility until the letter carrier is assured the pet has been restrained. If the dog is roaming the neighborhood, the pet owner’s neighbors also may be asked to pick up their mail at the area’s Post Office location.
Hometown Hound 2020
The suspense was killing us.
Charlie Brown, the German Shepherd therapy dog, is America’s Hometown Hound 2020, having captured 8,200 votes.
Wallace, the French bulldog, claimed second place with 6,200 votes, and Tilly, an adorable handicapped dog, came in third with 4,500 votes.
All three dogs hail from Plymouth homes, but the competition was region wide.
Since its March launch, The America’s Hometown Hound competition drew 236 submissions and about 65,000 votes.
The competition stretched from March into June, with fans voting for their favorites day after day, week after week. When the final 25 were announced, participants were encouraged to vote their favorite every day. They did.
When a dog received 500 votes, that seemed surprising. But then thousands of votes were rolling in, making this one popular idea, care of Pam Ranheim, owner of Just Around the Corner Dog Walking and Cat Sitting in Plymouth. Ranheim came up with the notion of a dog ambassador, elected annually to represent the town, with the winner announced at the Plymouth Area Chamber of Commerce’s hugely popular Bark in the Park event.
She launched America’s Hometown Hound, which became a welcome distraction from 2020 news that has disheartened so many.
The Bark in the Park event was rescheduled for June in light of the pandemic, and then that date was canceled.
Charlie Brown’s parents, Susan and Steve Brown, will receive a free photo shoot of their dog with photographer Kelli Wagner, free flea and tick treatments from Burgess Pest Management, and dog training by Ken Brady of To the Rescue Canine Training of Plymouth.
Second and third place winners receive gift cards to Pappa’s Pet Store in Manomet, Dog Spot Designs bandanas, treats and some toys as well as certificates for free services at Just Around the Corner.
Charlie Brown will be the face of Bark in the Park until next year, when another competition reveals a new winner. He will be included in the Thanksgiving Day Parade, even if it’s virtual this year, and will serve other functions as Plymouth’s 2020 dog ambassador.
Here is his write-up:
“My specialty is social non-distancing – as a youngster I went to the Plimoth Plantation Farmer’s Market to greet children, merchants, other dogs, and even sheep. I was so regular that they called me the unofficial Market Mascot. I passed my AKC Canine Good Citizen’s Test in the middle of the 2017 Walk to End Alzheimer’s at Pilgrim Memorial State Park. And then, thanks to the wonderful DOG B.O.N.E.S. program, I became a registered therapy dog. Now I visit hospitals, nursing homes, and schools like Plymouth South Middle School. I have a regular weekly gig at BID-Plymouth Hospital and Spaulding Rehab Hospital. I love swapping kisses for treats with patients and staff as I make the rounds thru the Lab, Radiation Oncology, ER, Senior Behavioral Center and two recovery units. Unfortunately, I’ve been temporarily laid-off from both jobs – I miss sharing the good feelings and hope to be back soon. I also love going into Town Hall for dog-tags and beach permits, the local Fire Station for Open House and Photo-with-Santa events, and of course greeting the DPW Crews and Police Detail Officers on our well-maintained street projects. Late afternoons you can find me at Hedges Pond Recreation Area or the Elmer Raymond Park where I’m considered an excellent tennis ball retriever. Each night ends with a tasty soup bone from Piantedosi’s Court Street Butcher Shop. It’s good to be Charlie Brown.”
