Bruce the School Therapy Dog talks about Self Respect – Covid 19 at home learning
When Grace Coleman began bringing her dog Penny to her office, she hoped it would help brighten her co-workers’ days.
She never expected the spaniel mix, adopted from Action for Animals in Latrobe, to become one of the most effective employees at Crisis Center North, which works with domestic violence victims in the North Hills.
“We ran into a little boy outside the center who didn’t want to go into counseling that day,” said Coleman, the center’s executive director. “But he did want to play with Penny. I just decided to say, ‘How about you give your appointment to Penny?’ The counselor came out afterward and said they’d covered more ground during that one session than they had in six months.”
The boy told his story to Penny, Coleman said.
“The counselor told me, ‘You need to do something with this dog,’ ” she said.
Penny is now winding down her career as a canine court advocate, providing comfort and support to Crisis Center North clients both in the office and in the courtroom, and she has been nominated for a 2020 American Humane Hero Dog Award.
She is certified as a Canine Good Citizen by the American Kennel Club and as a therapy dog since 2010. She is the cornerstone of Crisis Center North’s Paws for Empowerment program.
In 2013, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office supported the creation of the Victim Assistance Canine Program, and Penny became the first shelter dog in the state to provide canine advocacy services in court, piloting the program at District Judge Anthony Saveikis’s Oakdale courtroom.
Coleman said she can’t thank the DA’s office enough for taking a chance on Penny.
“She really opened up the doors in Allegheny County,” Coleman said. “And the DA was the first one to take a chance and help fund it and say, ‘I think you have a good idea here.’ ”
Coleman said she’s perpetually fascinated by watching Penny and other therapy dogs in action.
“It takes about two years to train dogs to do this, but so many of the things she does, we didn’t even teach her,” she said. “We came into the office with one new client, and when Penny walked into the room and saw her, she just seemed to know that she had to make herself small and be as gentle as possible.”
Penny dropped to her stomach and did a sort of military crawl across the floor to the woman.
“The client got right down on the floor, started petting her and crying, and the therapy session began right there in the hallway,” Coleman said.
At 12 years old, Penny is nearing retirement and, while Coleman has begun minimizing her hours, she also brought a new canine advocate on board: Ari, an Australian shepherd mix.
Coleman is excited to continue the work she began with Penny.
“The human-animal bond is really amazing, and I feel privileged to be able to watch it happen all the time,” she said.
A pet therapy program at the University of Minnesota has now gone virtual.
PAWS, which stands for Pet Away Worry And Stress, is an extremely popular program offered through Boynton Health at the University of Minnesota.
It is typically offered four times per week on campus and features about 100 different registered therapy animals, ranging from dogs and cats to chickens and miniature horses.
Since the university is closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program has adapted and is now being held through online Zoom sessions.
“More than ever, mental health is a concern,” said Kevin Bubolz, who participates with his therapy dog Ellie, a golden retriever. “A lot of people are going through a lot of different challenges and really need these animal assisted interactions to help bring back a sense of normalcy in this time of uncertainty.”
In the virtual sessions, students can move between different “rooms” to visit the animals of their choice and interact with the handlers and other students.
The groups bond over the animals but eventually open up about how they are feeling, covering topics like fears over coronavirus, the challenges of online learning and uncertainty over the job market following graduation.
“As soon as a student is brave enough to say, ‘I’m really struggling,’ other students step forward and say, ‘I am too,’” explained Animal Assisted Interactions Coordinator Tanya Bailey, who started the program seven years ago.
Bailey said, while in person sessions are preferable, the digital interactions are still effective because of a concept called “mirror neurons.”
“What that means is that when you are observing somebody else do something that’s a pattern your brain recognizes, you oftentimes will feel the same feeling. So just the sheer act of the owner of that animal petting the animal, the student observing that, their brain recognizes that pattern and it brings peace,” Bailey explained. “A lot of times it brings joy and happiness and they laugh as well.”
“You leave out of there feeling so euphoric and so happy, it really does carry on into the rest of your day and for me personally into the rest of my week,” added student Mariah Flores.
The AKC Paw of Courage is an award given to show appreciation for the work that dogs do in the service of humankind. This award recognizes dogs who serve their communities, making great impacts in the lives of their human counterparts. Paw of Courage awards can be presented to Police K-9s, Military Working Dogs, Therapy Dogs, Service Dogs and other canines that work to make the lives of the people around them safer, easier or just simply happier. In light of COVID-19, we are awarding three special dogs who have made a difference during the national pandemic with the AKC Paw of Courage.
Jackson is an eight-year-old Golden Retriever owned by Bob Wharton. Jackson has been a Certified Therapy Dog for six years and completed more than 1,400 visits. He has also earned his CGC, Trick Dog Advance, and Therapy Dog Distinguished titles. Jackson also holds Therapy Dogs International Titles of TDI Gold and Tail Waggin’ Tutors and has received a “Certificate of Recognition” from his township. He is presently a Certified Therapy Dog with Angel On A Leash, “America’s Therapy Dogs”.
In this trying time, Jackson and Bob haven’t been able to do their regular visits due to the COVID-19 crisis. However, this hasn’t stopped the duo from visiting the people who need them – they have continued to do virtual therapy visits with Independent and Memory Care Facilities and 1st graders at an Elementary School twice a week through photos and videos. Jackson is even the main character in a children’s book written and illustrated by Bob. The book has been sent electronically to the homes of the children from the 1st-grade class that they visit for the children to read to their families during this stay at home order. In such an unsettling time, Jackson and Bob continue to bring smiles and comfort to the people around them who need it most.
Molly, officially known as Little Girl Molly RN THDD CGCA CGCU TKP RATN NSD, is a ten-year-old Vizsla 
owned by Connie Priesz. Molly has been a registered therapy animal with Pet Partners for nine years. They also belong to North Star Therapy Animals, a twin cities group of registered Pet Partner therapy animals.
Since the COVID-19 stay at home order, Connie and Molly have taken steps to stay connected in order to continue to bring comfort and joy. In an effort to change to virtual visits, the therapy dog team has made movies while reading a book, for schools, libraries and social media sites to share and have made virtual visit videos for the patients at the VA hospital they usually visit. In addition, Connie and Molly have joined the AKC PupPals program, submitting countless videos to those in need and have sent cards and pictures to all the sites they typically visit. The pair also created a Facebook group called “The Therapy Animal Space” for people with animals to stay connected and share stories during this global crisis.
These new trying times have made Connie and Molly think differently about how to help bring adventures and connections to those who need a smile. They plan to continue to serve their community and beyond by using technology to bring the effects of the human-animal bond to more people and reach even further as they work in this new way.
Phoebe, officially known as CH Patana’s Flash Point, BN, RN, NA, NAJ, PT, FDC, CA, CGCA, CGCU, SDPRO, 
TKE, is a 10-year-old Belgian Tervuren owned by Dr. Pamela Regan.
As part of their ongoing work as an AKC Canine Ambassador, Phoebe is used to participating in public demonstrations about training, responsible dog ownership, performance sports, how to greet a friendly dog, meet the breeds, and other important topics at schools, fairs, museums, and similar venues. Of course, all those fun public demos came to a halt in March due to the nationwide efforts to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. But that didn’t stop Pamela and Phoebe from continuing their work as an AKC Canine Ambassador team.
The pair created several videos for the AKC PupPals program and have been regularly going on “front yard visits” to individual homes and assisted living facilities for the past six weeks. During the visits, Phoebe performs tricks and stunts while her audience is safely sheltered inside and watching from their windows. Although her Harry-Potter themed tricks are a favorite among the younger generation, the Obedience and Agility tricks – in particular, scent work (“Can Phoebe count?”), hand signals, hoop jumps, retrieving, and weave poles – are the crowd favorites! Phoebe is a big-hearted, willing dog, who works so tirelessly to bring joy, entertainment, and social connection to people’s lives during these uncertain times.
On Tuesday, the University of Saskatchewan Paws Your Stress therapy dog program launched its new online program.
It delivers pandemic-specific mental health safety tips for students and community members.
“We are all quickly learning that physical distancing doesn’t have to mean we disconnect from supports in our lives, and this includes therapy dogs,” said Colleen Dell, professor of sociology and the U of S’s research chair in One health and wellness. “We are fortunate to have the technology to take our service online during COVID-19.”
Partnering with the St. John Ambulance therapy dog program Dell will lead the delivery of the PAWS Your Stress program virtually, with 10-minute Facebook Live events at least twice a week for U of S students and the greater Saskatchewan community.
The live events feature a therapy dog doing every day healthy activities such as heading outside for walks and grooming. They’ll run until the end of July.
Zaphod, a great Pyrenees therapy dog, and handler Tonya will do the first online therapy dog visit Tuesday at 1 p.m.
Anyone looking to view the virtual events can watch on Facebook (@PAWSYourStress), and afterwards, the U of S said the recorded video will be linked to additional social media platforms, including Instagram (@pawsyourstress), Twitter (@PawsStress) and YouTube (PAWSYourStress).
“The therapy dog teams care deeply about the well-being of students, staff and faculty on our campus and the people of Saskatchewan. We hope these virtual visits will be helpful to a lot of people who are isolated right now – kids, youth, seniors and adults,” said Dell in a news release.
Dell told CTV News the program comes at a time where opportunities to connect with the community are limited due to public gathering restrictions and stay-at-home guidelines.
“The hope is people get some enjoyment from seeing the dogs do some tricks or different things. We’re showing how the dog stays healthy and how it can translate to us as humans, we can learn a few things from the dog, which is what our research program is about,” she said.
While she’s seen the benefit form personal contact and interactions between dogs and humans, she’s curious to see if those same physiological changes translate online.
“In person you have serotonin which increases. That’s the love hormone, and they say in just five minutes being with the animal that can increase. Whether that’s going to happen over the internet, I’m not too sure,” she said.
“We know that on social media the most favourite sites are those looking at pet pictures, cats and dogs and there’s got to be a reason for that. These are happy stories, pictures we really like to see.”
Faith Bodnar, executive director with the local Canadian Mental Health Association, said she’s had dogs in her life and she’s recognized how effective animal interactions are at helping people live in the moment.
The program is also partnering with Scholastic Canada for online readings of favourite children’s books. Therapy dog teams will be featured during the book-reading sessions online.
THUNDER BAY — The COVID-19 pandemic is keeping Thunder Bay’s therapy dogs from making personal visits to the people who’ve come to count on them for a bit of cheer and companionship.
Jill Biggs, coordinator of the St. John Ambulance therapy dog program in northwestern Ontario, says the clients aren’t the only ones missing the human/canine interaction.
Her own dog, she said, “hasn’t had a good belly-rub” in over a month.
“A lot of the dogs wear a bandana that says ‘St. John Ambulance’ on it when they go visiting. And most handlers have a specific collar that we use everytime we go out. When you put them on the dog, they know exactly what they’re going to be doing,” Biggs said.
Although those excursions are off-limits right now, the dogs and their owners aren’t forgetting their friends.
Many of the 50 animals enrolled in the programming are now making virtual visits.
Some are using FaceTime to connect with residents in long-term care facilities, while other dogs are “writing” to children they previously encountered in school visits.
St. John Ambulance has also posted photos and messages to clients on its Facebook page.
Local dog Blue, a five-year-old Newfie, used to visit Thunder Bay Airport weekly to greet travellers.
He’s social-distancing at home for now, as a YouTube video shows.
Biggs says all the clients St. John Ambulance has heard from in recent weeks are expressing how much they miss the dogs.
“A lot of our clients are in long-term care homes. The dogs have been visiting them for two to three years, and establish a relationship with them. Now that’s gone,” she told Tbnewswatch.
“It’s tough on everybody. We had dogs at the university, four out of five days of the week, in different locations…Every time we walked in there, the students were already waiting for the dogs,” Biggs added.
Some elementary school children who benefited from school visits by therapy dogs are receiving notes from their canine friends while classes are cancelled.
Biggs’ dog, Flynn, is a reading dog.
“They have pals for stories. Students who are not keen on reading will not read in front of a stranger but they will sit on the mat beside Flynn and read to her. Because we can’t do that now, some of the handlers have sent photos to the schools, and the students – instead of reading to the dogs – are writing letters to them. And the dogs are responding in kind.”
The area St. John Ambulance therapy dog program also has participants in Nipigon, Dryden and Kenora.
There will be no “paws” in the comfort provided by St. John Ambulance therapy dogs.
The University of Saskatchewan PAWS Your Stress Therapy Dog program has moved online to continue providing support during COVID-19.
“We are all quickly learning that physical distancing doesn’t have to mean we disconnect from supports in our lives, and this includes therapy dogs. We are fortunate to have the technology to take our service online during COVID-19,” said Colleen Dell, a professor of sociology in the U of S College of Arts and Science and the university’s Research Chair in One Health and Wellness.
Beginning April 20 and until the end of July, PAWS Your Stress events will take place at least twice a week online for U of S students and for the greater Saskatchewan community. The 10-minute Facebook Live events will feature a therapy dog doing an everyday healthy activity, such as going for a walk or grooming.
The program has also partnered with Scholastic Canada for online readings of favourite children’s books. In-training, current and retired campus therapy dog teams will be featured during the book-reading sessions of a specially selected book.
“The therapy dog teams care deeply about the well-being of students, staff and faculty on our campus and the people of Saskatchewan. We hope these virtual visits will be helpful to a lot of people who are isolated right now — kids, youth, seniors and adults,” Dell said.
It is a stressful time for all of us, and everyone is feeling the tension and anxiety that comes with the uncertainty of not knowing when things will improve and return to normal.
During challenging times like these, it is understandable to experience a toll on mental health. Luckily, a therapy dog is hoping to help one virtual therapy session at a time.
More specifically, Ricochet is part of the Canine Inspired Community Reintegration (CICR) program, a partnership between Pawsitive Teams and the Naval Medical Center San Diego.
Now, Ricochet is reporting for duty by providing online therapy sessions via FaceTime for essential workers who need her most.
“Are you a healthcare worker or anyone else feeling anxious, stressed, depressed, scared, overwhelmed or any other unsettling emotion during this Covid-19 pandemic?” a post on Ricochet’s official website asks.
“Do you wish therapy dogs weren’t social distancing so they could provide some comfort? Well, Ricochet does… and she’s teamed up with her Pawsitive Teams Therapy Dog crew to provide virtual canine therapy! ”
According to the website, making eye contact with a dog can reduce anxiety. Even looking at a photo of a dog’s eyes can be soothing.
The site explains that after only 30 to 60 seconds of looking at an image, your brain triggers the release of oxytocin, a hormone known to reduce anxiety and create a sense of calm.
Ricochet is providing virtual therapy sessions for doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, first responders, as well as essential workers and families who have lost a loved one.
“During this time of feeling helpless, the more we share, the more people we can reach and the more helpful we can feel,” a post on Ricochet’s Facebook states.
There is no denying that times are tough right now, and we may forget to consider the mental toll that it is taking on essential workers and healthcare professionals, who are risking their lives to keep the rest of the world safe on a daily basis.
Services such as these allow essential workers to get the assistance they may need to continue on with the fight.
For some students, the pitter-patter of paws is a comfort left at home. Research by Ohio State University says a quarter of college students find their pets help them through difficult times.
November is national adopt a senior pet month. With more than four hundred cats and dogs at Burlington Animal Services, some may find the companion they’ve been looking for.
“That’s why really anybody fosters is to give these animals a second, third chance at life,” Lois Dixon, foster program coordinator, said. “We all need a chance.”
An animal foster parent herself, Dixon feels a natural connection to her work.
“I just enjoy seeing these dogs blossom and go from in some cases a very horrible life and then go into a wonderful home,” she said.
But animals at the shelter aren’t the only ones that are searching. Some Elon students are looking for the perfect companion.
“My dogs sleep in my bed with me so it was really weird not having animals around all the time,” Sydney Schapel, an Elon sophomore, said.
Schapel, who also volunteers at the shelter, has been on the list of available foster parents for more than a year. She’s struggled with anxiety and depression, moving her to seek comfort from what she loves most.
“Because I’ve grown up with animals I’m just much more comfortable around them,” Schapel said. “It just kind of helps me like not be as anxious.”
According to Dixon, adoption can be “pretty immediate.” Schapel said she’s applying for an emotional support animal, which according to Residence Life, is one of the only animals allowed in residence halls – so she can finally bring a pet home.
