Therapy dogs visit residents
Some friends of the Continuing Care Center stopped by the center on Monday to do a long-distance hello; therapy dogs Gunner, Pippin, Cheyenne and Sequoia said “hi” to their friends through a window.
Gunner and Pippin are owned by Laura Finion and Cheyenne and Sequoia are owned by Lori Herbel. They are a part of the HOPE Animal Assisted Crisis response Dog Team — a national nonprofit that has been working since 2001 to bring comfort to the victims of disasters.
Trained as therapy dogs, the teams can be deployed by FEMA or other organizations to disaster areas.
The dogs have been visiting the center weekly for the last two years and Finion said the staff and residents have become family to them over the years.
“We miss them and the dogs miss them even more,” she said.
“We stayed outside and visited through windows to residents and staff,” Finion said. “We knocked at windows and did a distance hello from both us and the dogs.”
Finion said the visit was scheduled with staff from CCC and they all worked hard to do it in a way that kept residents and staff members protected. Finios and Herbel wore masks and the dog wore signs saying “Hi, we have missed you!”
Finion said that she and Herbel hope to be able to do this weekly as until they can return to their regular visits with residents in the center.
“We had not wanted to stop our visits and found a way to do it safely for us and for staff,” Finion said. “It’s such a hard time, and a time that the dogs are so needed to bring a smile to all.”
Therapy dog team
Tina Zimmerman and her Belgian Malinois, Navarre, greet residents as Zimmerman and four other members of the Sharawag Therapy Dog Team appeared Wednesday, April 22, 2020, outside the senior living facility, 1402 Leslie Drive. Eden Bernstein works with her border collie mix, Lucy, as Bernstein and four other Sharawag Therapy Dog Team members made an appearance Wednesday, April 22, 2020, outside the Welbrook at Bloomington senior living facility, 1402 Leslie Drive. Laura Williams and her English cream golden retriever, Beau, relax Wednesday, April 22, 2020, outside Welbrook at Bloomington, 1402 Leslie Drive. Williams and four other members of the Sharawag Therapy Dog Team visited the senior living facility to entertain its residents, something the group of about 30 members tries to do once a month. Residents inside Welbrook at Bloomington look on as Tina Zimmerman and her Belgian Malinois, Navarre, hold up a sign that said “Happy Spring” as Zimmerman and four other members of the Sharawag Therapy Dog Team appeared Wednesday, April 22, 2020, outside the senior living facility, 1402 Leslie Drive.
Guide for Getting a Puppy
Royal Frenchel has announced the release of their most recent infographic:
A Checklist For A New Puppy. The infographic breaks down the items needed and offers tips for training them, so your experience will be both rewarding and enjoyable.
According to Royal Frenchel, “When training a puppy, it is important to make training a positive experience using praise and always end with a true connection. In addition, you should have consistency in training and house rules, and for bonding, it is essential to spend uninterrupted time engaging with your puppy every day.”
Included in the infographic are questions you should ask when choosing the perfect puppy for your family. Questions like “How large is this puppy expected to grow?” and “Is this breed good with people, other dogs, and children?” will give you the information you need to make an informative choice when choosing a puppy right for your family.
To make sure you are prepared for your new furry friend, make sure you buy some of the essentials including bowls, a few beds, a sturdy kennel, and harness with a leash. You need to also make sure anything that can be harmful to your new puppy or anything that can easily be destroyed needs to be put up and out of harm’s way. In an effort to find a good service dog for her daughter, Anahata Graceland a breeder of over half a century, created the Royal Frenchel. Royal Frenchels were awarded the Top Award of Pets Best and Farmers Insurance Companies for being a top breed to buy for best health, personality, and longevity. Royal Frenchels are intuitive, intelligent, fun loving dogs most often used as service and therapy dogs. They are a crossbreed predominantly created with the French Bulldog and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel along with other breeds which were used to stabilize the genes.
Loki the therapy dog
The sight of nursing scrubs is a surefire way to get Loki wagging her tail.
It’s not something that leaves most dogs panting with excitement. But Loki isn’t your typical dog — she’s a two-year-old Rottweiler therapy dog, or a “dogtor,” as she is otherwise known.
Loki and her owner, Caroline Benzel, have been doing therapy sessions at the University of Maryland Medical Center about three times a week since last December.
“We were doing therapy for the entire hospital system,” said Benzel, a second-year medical student at the University of Maryland. “Whether it be custodians, first responders, nurses, doctors, patients, or even family members in the waiting room.”
But now, the current hospital restrictions have forced them to stop in-person visits.
So they started doing the next best thing: Providing the staff and patients a chance to check-in with their “dogtor” through video conferencing.
“We started contacting people and just checking in and making sure they were doing okay. Then we started doing the FaceTime visits.”
Dogs helping people cope
Psychologists say pets can help get people through COVID-19 isolation.
Are our four-legged friends really helping us deal with the loss of normality Psychologists say our pets more special than you think?
Baby Capris just turned nine-weeks old. A Great Dane, this bundle of cuteness is keeping the Wennmacher family busy during Illinois’s shelter-in order.
“Definitely not a lot of sitting down, chasing her up and sown the hallways making sure she’s not eating the leggos,” says owner and mother Ashlee Wennmacher.
Capris came to the family two weeks ago. Ashlee says with her she brought structure, and with three kids under the age of ten, she says Capris keeps them entertained.
“They are definitely learning some life skills about the dogs, how to feed them, how to care for the dogs,” she says.
Dog owner Alex Chalmers works part time in aged care. He says his beloved pooches have redefined the meaning of patience.
“Just take it day by day. They’re going to be with me as well. As long as I don’t get worried they don’t, and as long as they’re calm I’m calm.”
Studies prove pets can provide non-judgemental emotional support.
Psychologist Dr. Carl Vincent says, “animals can help fill in that sense of isolation and that’s what people are feeling.”
December 1st 2019, Diana Bush lost her husband. She says the loss of her husband Denny was one of the hardest things she’s ever had to deal with. She says Gracie her two-year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is her saving grace.
“My husband loved her so she’s a part of him… she just keeps me calm.”
Dogs provide us with comfort, love and friendship. For the Whennmacher’s it’s a good laugh. For Alex its motivation and clarity. For Diana it’s emotional support.
Pets are good for our mental health and they can help bring back some degree of normalcy.
Those considering buying, adopting or fostering a pet are advised to seriously what’s involved, because our four-legged friends need us, as much as we need them.
Getting along with your pets?
Researchers at Memorial University are collaborating on an international dual studies that will shed some light on how humans interact with their cats and dogs.
Caroyln Walsh of the Department of Psychology’s Canine Research Unit expects most people who complete the questionnaires are likely to be devoted pet owners.
But with 16 countries participating, she expects there will be cultural differences — for example while many North American pet owners love dressing their pets up for Halloween, that may not be the case in other countries.
The study originated with Tess Rehn of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and James Serpell of the University of Pennsylvania and Walsh said Rehn will analyze the results over the summer and hopefully they will be published in the fall.
“Some of the questions might seem strange, but they are based on research tools,” Walsh said, who has both cats and dogs as pets.
They include topics such as the degree to which people rely on their dogs for protection and how much emotional support people draw from their pets.
It’s the first time the Canine Research Unit has delved into cat-human relationships.
It’s expected the studies will gauge to what degree people consider their pets a part of the family, evidence that expands on the trend of pet ownership, especially for those who don’t have children, and the wealth of products and services devoted to pets.
Retired Memorial University professor Rita Anderson is also involved in the studies.
She and Walsh started the Canine Research Unit nearly a decade ago and when the project researchers reached out to Walsh, Anderson was intrigued.
“It sounds like a neat opportunity,” Anderson said of her reaction.
“I am dying to find out what the results will look like.”
Anderson also expects there will be cultural differences, but isn’t sure what those will exactly look like.
She also said the cat and dog studies’ results are likely to spark further research, as they will provide hints of other avenues to pursue.
Anderson also has both cats and dogs and noted the positive influence they can have on people’s emotional and physical wellbeing, such as the renewal one feels from taking their dog for a walk after a hard day.
Service Dogs Ready
Service dogs are a lifeline for many veterans, especially those with post-traumatic stress disorder. While many people are still getting used to social distancing measures, these human-dog teams do them every single day.
Rhonda Lockwood was in the Army for 20 years before retiring in 2003. She struggled in the years that followed, and was introduced to Operation at Ease. The Schenectady-based organization teams veterans with rescue dogs and helps to train them to become service animals.
“We paired her with a dog from Mohawk Hudson Humane Society,” said Joni Bonilla, the founder of Operation at Ease. “She was simultaneously the prettiest and the smelliest dog we ever pulled.”
Now smelling much better, Lockwood’s dog Bella serves as a buffer between the community and her human, making sure no one gets too close.
“If I’m at the pharmacy and there’s something behind me, I can’t. I can’t just stand there,” explained Lockwood.
“What we are experiencing now is what people with post-traumatic stress live with every day,” said Bonilla.
The emptier grocery stores and social distancing measures are things these veterans look for, even in the best of times. They try to always practice social distancing, something many don’t understand.
“One of our veterans, actually, a Vietnam veteran, said that to me at the very beginning of this. He said, ‘Well, maybe the good thing that will come of this is how people will see,’ ” said Bonilla.
Service animals also offer emotional support, something veterans like Lockwood rely on.
“She kept me calm, just doing little training stuff with her in the house, playing hide and seek, stuff like that. It keeps you going,” said Lockwood.
Operation at Ease is still training dogs, but has temporarily moved programing online.
16 surprising therapy and emotional support animals
Though dogs are the most common therapy animal, plenty of other animals support their owners. Pet Partners told ABC News that, “dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, guinea pigs, rats, miniature pigs, llamas, alpacas, horses, donkeys and mini-horses” can all be therapy animals.
There are important distinctions between therapy animals and emotional support animals. Therapy animals have special training, and must pass obedience tests to be certified; emotional support animals have to be registered and require a prescription by a mental health or healthcare professional, but do not need to undergo any training.
Service animals are also different. They are highly trained to provide assistance for owners who might be physically or visually impaired.
In recent years, there’s been a boom in emotional support animal popularity. Many people have attempted to travel with unusual companions, and in 2016, ABC News reported that passengers were stunned when a woman with PTSD brought her emotional support duck on her flight.
Debbie Garcia, an education director at Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses, said she gets a similar response when people see her animals. “When an elevator door opens in a hospital and tiny horses walk out it is unexpected and magical. People do not expect to see a horse indoors,” she said.
Take a look at all the animals that you might not have imagined could work in therapy or emotional support roles.
Garcia told Insider that not all miniature horses can be therapy animals.
“Most miniature horses in our program are from multiple generations of therapy horses,” she said. “Unlike dogs, horses are herd animals/flight animals so we look for outgoing, fearless personalities that like to be center of attention. We then spend time with them (with their moms) from the day they are born, exposing them to new things everyday like wheelchairs and different walking surfaces.”
Horses from Gentle Carousel, which is based in Ocala, Florida, visit adults and children in hospital and hospice care, among other locations.
“Our therapy horse Magic has a very special relationship with children in hospital care,” Garcia said. “One little girl who had a heart transplant and then leukemia said Magic made her face hurt from smiling so much.”
In 2016, LiLou became the world’s first airport therapy pig after traveling to San Francisco Airport (SFO). On LiLou’s website, it says, “Everyone we meet leaves with a smile and every day we hear that we have made someone’s day.”
Chesnut, who lives in Georgia, travels around the country with her therapy rat, Vincent, visiting children at schools. Vincent and Chesnut both underwent training to register him as a therapy animal. The test involved tasks like being around a dog, being passed around, taking a treat, and reacting to loud noises, Chesnut said on her site.
“Vincent has been reading with kids for a couple of months now and he has been a champ,” she wrote in a blog post. “He might get a little fidgety at first, but he quickly gets comfortable and listens to the kids read.”
Preparing food, cleaning the cage, and interaction can lead to improvements in social skills for children, including those with autism spectrum disorder.
Niki Kuklenski, of JNK Llamas, based in Bellingham, Washington, told Insider, “Llamas are magical as therapy animals. The good ones are intuitive and interactive. Mine know the line and can tell who wants to kiss them. Llamas are better for some people as they are not as intense as a dog or other animals of that nature.”
In addition to their role as emotional support animals, monkeys can be trained to perform certain tasks, like the monkeys at Helping Hands Monkey Helpers in Boston, Massachusetts, which help people with mobility impairments. The monkeys are even taught how to turn on computers.
According to Emotional Support Animal Co, “It is safe to bring snakes around people and let others touch and play with them without having to worry about causing somebody to cough or sneeze.”
They also say that since many snakes naturally squeeze things, it can be like a hug for someone in need.
Contrary to popular belief, tarantulas have very low venom levels, and their bites do not pose a real threat to humans. Additionally, though not traditionally “furry,” tarantulas do have hair, so they provide similar comfort to mammalian emotional support animals. They can also survive on one cricket a week, making them low effort and cost.
According to the blog Heavenly Hedgies, “Hedgehogs often comfort their owners with cuddles, licks, and offer their paws or cuddly bellies for rubs. Their defenses completely drop if they are able to form a close connection with their hedgie parents. Sharp and fortified quills become soft and relaxed making themselves available for emotional therapy and mental support.”
According to Emotional Pet Support, “These creatures are small, friendly, quiet, social, personable, and litter-trained! They’re also incredibly easy to carry around with you and they don’t get stressed out with moving around all day and not being able to go outside much.”
Daniel Turducken Stinkerbutt, aka Daniel the Duck, is an emotional support animal for Carla Fitzgerald. After an accident in 2013, she began to experience PTSD and Daniel helped her. According to ABC News, Fitzgerald was “incredibly nervous” and said that “just leaving the house can be terrifying,” but Daniel’s “hugs and kisses” gave her “comfort and confidence.”
Sadly, Dexter passed away recently. He belonged to Brooklyn-based artist Ventiko, who told Bedford and Bowery, that he “really changed my life in a positive way.”
According to Reptiles Magazine, turtles make good emotional support animals because “caring for them and handling them gives patients a sense of accomplishment they are proud to share with their friends and family.”
In an article for Pigeon Rescue, Zhou wrote, “They’re not popular birds for companionship, but I think it would surprise most people to know how affectionate, emotional, and even entertaining they can be.”
Preuss has a brain malformation and multiple mental health illnesses. Her sugar glider is trained to respond to her heart rate, mood, and breath. When she is having a panic attack, he is able to come out and give her a distraction. Caring for him helps take her mind off things.
Preuss told Insider why, for her, a sugar glider is better than another animal: “Dogs are very visible to people and so people ask if they can pet them or say that they’re not really doing anything, but [my sugar glider] can be in my shirt, so no one even knows that he’s working. He’s able to do his job without being distracted by the public, which I think really stands out from regular service animals.”
In 2018, Ceurvels told WATD that the rooster was for her daughter. “It’s very comforting for her if she’s right there with him then, or when she’s starts to feel like she’s getting anxious. That’s her method of taking care of her anxiety,” she said.
Mercury doing his therapy!
Mercury has been crushing his water therapy!
Story time with Kelsey and Therapy Dog Pipsqueak
