Therapy Dog Trixie

What better way to start the weekend than with a heartwarming therapy dog visit.  Since Jam and Savi are in season, it was Trixie's turn to go visit our special friend at the group home, part of YAI, for developmentally disabled adult men who are nonverbal.  We had not made a visit in a few months and it was amazing to see the consumer, as they call the residents, immediately recognize Trixie.  He loves to feed her treats and we know it has been a great visit if he smiles and laughs, which he did. 

Trixie is a PetPartner's therapy dog and her daughter, Jam, was filmed along with Edward from the group homes, as part of PetPartner's new promotional video.  We were honored to be included in this important film.  

New Pet Partners Promotional Video with Jam

The long awaited Pet Partners Promotional Video has finally been released. Jam and I were honored to be included in the filming of this video. This is a great introduction to their Therapy Animal Program. The video features several teams, including us, from around the country visiting various facilities.  The last segment tells the story of a little girl and how a therapy dog saved her life is extremely touching and will bring you to tears

Savi is now a Pet Partners Therapy Dog!

Last Sunday,Savi, CH Grayhart's Shear Genius, SH, NSD, NRD,V, and I underwent and passed with flying colors, the evaluation for the Pet Partners, formerly Delta Society, Therapy Dog Program. The test was given in New York City by Anita Sacks, a certified Pet Partner Evaluator.

What is unique about this program is that both the dog and handler are tested on their skills and aptitude as relating to what it takes to being a successful and safe team able to visit various environments. I was so proud of Savi, who did an awesome job, and received wonderful feedback from our evaluator on her terrific, outgoing temperament.

From the Pet Partners Website:

Pet Partners® program trains volunteers and screens volunteers and their pets for visiting animal programs in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, schools and other facilities.
The Pet Partners program was established in 1990 to ensure that "both ends of the leash," people as well as animals, were well-prepared to participate in animal-assisted activity and animal-assisted therapy programs. Pet Partners is the only national registry that requires volunteer training and screening of animal-handler teams.

Pet Partners national network links volunteers with facilities in their own communities that request visiting pets and helps Pet Partners contact facilities to begin visits in new locations.

The evaluation consists of two parts, Skills and Aptitude.  Above shows the dog at the beginning of an overall exam and then the tester will move on to clumsy petting and a restraining hug.  Savi gave Anita lots of kisses whenever she could and was allowed.

The dog must have basic obedience skills and do these with distractions, ranging from yelling, staggering individuals, getting bumped from behind and being crowded and petted by a group of people.  Above, shows a stay.  The dog is kept on a long lead for safety purposes.

The last exercise was accepting a treat.  The dog must do this in a polite manner and the evaluator must not feel teeth.  It is also important that the handler show or tell the person how they are to give the dog a treat.

And we have a new Therapy Team!!!

Thanks to my good friend, Kellyann for the terrific photos and our puppy people, Aimee, Michael Rosalie and Danielle for helping make the entire test day a success!

Pet Partners Video Star Jam!

Jam and I had an exciting day! We were honored and thrilled to be asked to be one of the therapy dog teams to be chosen to be included in the new Pet Partners promotional video!  It all started last summer, when I was down in South Carolina to have Jam bred to Summit, and received a phone call from the VP of Marketing at Pet Partners, calling to find out if I would be interested in participating in their new promotional video.  Apparently, our Pet Partner mentor, Anita, had recommended us based on the noteworthy work Jam and I have done at the YAI group home we visit.  The video was in the planning stages and they were waiting for a grant to be approved which would provide the funding for the project.

Fast forward and two weeks ago we received the call that the grant was approved and the video was going to be shot.  Jam and I were filmed during our visit to the group home for developmentally disabled adult men, especially with one special consumer who has an amazing bond with Jam and me.   The taping also included an interview and we were asked many questions on how we became involved in dog therapy work, our observations on the effects of Jam on the consumers as well as how others can become involved with Pet Partners.  It was a fun and amazing experience, making me reflect on what our visits mean to others as well as how they have effected me.  I am blessed to have this special dog who can make such an incredible difference in peoples lives.

As soon as the video is available, I will share it on the blog.

Trixie - our Newest Therapy Dog!!!

I am very proud to announce that Trixie is our newest Pet Partners Therapy Dog!  With Jam out on maternity leave and Savi away for field training, we needed to find a Weim to fill their shoes and  it was Trixie.  The group home for developmentally disabled adults has missed our visits and I'm sure will be thrilled to have us back.

Thanks to our wonderful evaluator, Anita Sacks, who organized and administered the Pet Partners, formally Delta Society, Therapy Dog evaluation in New York City.  Trixie adored Anita!

Even with torrential rains and a tornado nearby, we made it safely into the city and were able to get  the evaluation done, and make it out to the Somerset Hills Kennel Club show to purchase dog food and puppy toys for Jam's litter!

It takes a group of trained volunteers to assist with making the evaluation a success and our fabulous friend, KellyAnn, joined us for the day to help.  The other volunteers were terrific and thanks go out to them for donating their time.

Therapy Thursday

  

 I've mentioned before that Jam is a certified Delta Society Pet Partner.  Over a month ago, we were asked by a social worker who is also a Delta Evaluator, to be ambassadors and do an initial visit to a residence that is part of the Rockland County Association for Learning Disabilities and has wanted a pet therapy team for a long time.  Jam was a hit and I was honored to be asked back and offered to do weekly visits.  The residents or consumers as they are called, are mostly men in their mid-twenties with ASDs (Autism Spectrum Disorders) plus developmental disabilities and neurological issues and are non-verbal.

 Our visits have been powerful, for me and also for the positive effects of the therapy visits on the consumers.  Jam seems to be a calming influence and the staff see wonderful reactions, such as smiling, laughing and the individual behaviors expressed by the men.  Each visit, the men, especially the one pictured, get more comfortable with Jam and it was exciting to see him initiate petting her - a truly big deal for him.

The consumers enjoy petting Jam and helping me give commands for her to do tricks.  It is important to understand the population and know what to do to make them feel comfortable and safe when interacting with Jam and to also keep her safety paramount.  Jam loves going on the visits and gets extra special treats!

Therapy Thursday

 Jam, all dressed up and ready for an official Delta Pet PartnerTherapy Dog visit.  This was our second visit to this residence for mentally disabled and autistic adults who are all non-verbal.  It is truly amazing to see the positive impact that is made by Jam's interactions with these gentlemen.