pet connection

I have loved the idea of therapy pets ever since I first heard about them some 20 years ago. All but one of my dogs have been well-suited to the task, but for various reasons I never got any of them certified to do the work. Darcy, for one, licked too much. My Delta Society student manual says dogs who frequently lick the handler, evaluator or assistant are “not ready.”

With Harper, though, I’m getting close. I spent all day Saturday getting a taste of what we would need to do to pass the evaluation. The morning was spent assisting at other teams’ evaluations. I crossed their paths on crutches, argued loudly with a fellow volunteer regarding the merits of Cavaliers vs. Vizslas, rushed up to people to pet their dogs, and was part of the “crowd” each team had to navigate. After each evaluation, we would discuss the team’s good points and where they needed work. Most of them were recertifications, and it was reassuring to see that even some of those dogs occasionally jumped up on people, were a little slow to respond to commands or needed to be refocused before performing their tasks. (Pictured are evaluator Maryanne Dell; her Tibetan Spaniel Jitterbug; and Steve, who is under the mistaken impression that Vizslas are better than Cavaliers.)

In the afternoon we watched a slide show that reprised the material in the workbook. Then came the fun part. The evaluators performed a series of skits and we had to point out what each handler did wrong–or right. I learned a lot from both sessions, and I think we have a reasonably good chance of passing if I can just keep Harper from going la-la during the evaluation. She’s capable of doing everything called for in the evaluation, but like me, she doesn’t always test well. It’s very difficult for her not to go right up to strangers, for instance. One of the evaluators mentioned that people with certain breeds, like Goldens, often wait until the dogs are about seven years old before getting them certified, just because it takes that long for their exuberance to mellow. I’m guessing Cavaliers are the same way.

We’ll be practicing a lot over the next few weeks. Evaluations are coming up late this month and in March. Wish us luck!

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All dogs should be well-behaved, but the standards for therapy dogs are much higher.

There are several national therapy dog organizations and probably hundreds of smaller ones, and they all want well behaved, trained, certified and safe dogs (and other pets) to visit people who need them.

Love on a Leash gives every member a “List of Manners for Visits.”  Although I had to think twice about the word “manners,” it’s a very nice list. I thought I would share several of them here because they apply well to all therapy dogs no matter what organization.

The dog (or cat or other therapy pet) must be clean, well groomed and free of fleas, ticks or other parasites. The pet should be healthy. Make sure the dog gets a chance to relieve himself prior to the visit and carry clean up materials at all times.

Make sure you have your therapy dog’s identification and vest or scarf. Make sure you have your identification.

Arrive with enough time before a visit so your dog can move around, greet the other therapy dogs and people, and relieve some excitement prior to going into the facility. When greeting the other therapy dogs and people, make sure your dog is not being too rowdy, pushy or rude. This is not playtime.

When you enter the facility,  no matter how excited your dog is, make sure he’s behaving himself. If your dog is too excited, take him outside, let him calm down, and then come back inside when he’s calm.

Know your dog. If he gets upset, stressed or tired, take him outside to calm down or take him home. Don’t continue a visit when your dog is not up to par; that’s when accidents happen.

When visiting people, remember to ask introduce yourself first and ask if the person would like to visit with your dog, “Hi! My name is Liz and this is my Australian Shepherd, Bashir. Would you like to visit with Bashir?” When presenting your dog, cat, rabbit or other pet, keep the safety of your pet in mind as well as the person being visited.

If someone doesn’t like pets, or just dogs, or even just your dog, respect their space and move away. Don’t try to talk someone into a visit unless there is a really good reason for it. If the doctor or caregiver or therapist says to try, then do it. Otherwise leave that person alone.

Don’t talk down to people. Be respectful. Respect people’s privacy and never share information about the people you are visiting. Never touch a wheelchair, walker, cane, bedside table or bedside chair without asking permission first. When you leave a room, if you have moved something put it back where it was.

Don’t forget to visit the staff, too. Your smiling face and happy dog or purring cat can help them get through the day.

Don’t forget to listen to the people you’re visiting. If you’re visiting kids, they can say the darnfest things, as the late Art Linkletter used to say. And if you’re visiting the elderly, they have wonderful stories to share.

My dogs and I have visited an Olympic gold medal swimmer who was originally from Scotland. We’ve talked to and listened to a former professional opera singer. For a period of time we visited one of my favorite authors, who wrote about horses. People have told me about their families and the dogs and cats who shared their lives. It’s so easy to just take a few minutes to listen as people pet our dogs. It’s a small thing but it means so much.

Photo: Bashir modeling his therapy dog vest.

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In my last post, I wrote about my Mom and her dog, Ginger, graduating from therapy dog class. Although I had to give my Mom some ‘atta girls’ for graduating, I also want to share the praise with everyone who graduated from class.

Kindred Spirits Dog Training has an informative therapy dog class but also a demanding one. When we graduate dogs and owners from this class, we want to make sure that the dogs and owners are suited for this volunteer activity. With twelve dogs and their owners graduating, there will be twelve more dogs visiting people in retirement facilities, nursing homes, Veterans facilities, and children’s special education classrooms. In addition, several of these volunteers are interested in the read to dogs programs in the local libraries.

Last year I wrote a series of posts, “The Making of a Therapy Dog,” about my youngest dog’s journey through the class. The series was nominated by Dog Writers Association of America for “Best Blog Series” in last year’s writing contest.

Twelve dogs and their owners graduated from last Saturday’s class and I – and Kindred Spirits – send congratulations to all of them.

The Leonberger, Bear, is approached by one of Kindred Spirits' volunteers, Lindlee, during training. Bear was calm, well behaved and unfazed by her enthusiastic greeting. Good boy! Bear's owner is Cherrie Giles.

Annabelle, a Boxer, and her owner, Kelli Kaliszewski, are congratulated by Kate Abbott, the class instructor and board president of Love on a Leash.

Jeff Gross and his German Shepherd Dog, Storm.

Teenager Zach Tucker is congratulated by Kate for his hard work and the success he's achieved with his husky, Cora.

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As I turned into the parking lot of the day care center where Riker and I have been visiting for several years, I could hear his whining increase in volume. Riker loves everyone – his goal in life is to share as much affection with the world as he can – but he really loves kids. A visit to this day care center is the highlight of his week.

As I parked the van, I could see the director walking towards us waving her hands to get my attention. This particular day care center is for kids facing challenges. Some are in the foster care system, some have severe health or emotional challenges, and some have behavioral issues. Riker is popular here with the staff and the kids, but the director doesn’t meet us in the parking lot.

As I leashed Riker and he jumped out of the van, the director said, “Liz, Riker, I’ve been waiting for you.”

As I greeted her, she continued, “We have a new student and we need Riker’s help.” Apparently the little girl we were going to see was abandoned by her mother shortly after birth; perhaps because the little girl, Gracie (her name changed for privacy), is blind and deaf. “Gracie is in a wonderful long term foster home and is getting a lot of therapy. Unfortunately she doesn’t accept change well and doesn’t trust easily.”

As I sighed, the director continued, “I’m hoping Riker will help Gracie relax and perhaps even smile. She’s been coming to us half days all week and I haven’t seen her smile yet. Nor will she move from her chair, play with the other kids, or play with any toys.”

I told the director, “I’m in over my head here. I have no idea how to handle this.”

As she patted my arm, she said, “Just get Riker close to her. I’ll help Gracie. Let’s see what Riker decides to do.”

As we approached, I saw a tiny, five year old girl. Her hair was in cornrows tipped with beads and tiny bells. Her complexion was dark and lovely. Her eyes were closed but she was swinging her feet under her chair so I knew she was awake.

The director approached Gracie and touched her arm. Gracie stopped swinging her feet and froze.

The director told me, “Bring Riker in close, across the front of her so I can put her hand on Riker’s back.” I did that while keeping a firm grip on the coat and skin on the front of Riker’s neck. He’s a kisser and I didn’t want him to frighten her.

The director placed one of Gracie’s hands on Riker’s back. Riker has a luxurious, thick, silky coat. Gracie pulled her hand out of the director’s and began stroking Riker’s coat. Soon both hands were feeling his coat, her fingers working through the thickness of it, and moving all over his back. She was leaning forward in her chair to reach him but still she was showing no facial expressions at all.

Still, her positive reactions must have caused me to relax my hold on Riker because his head swiveled around and he gave Gracie a big wet sloppy kiss across the face. I inhaled sharply and looked at the director, afraid that I had allowed Riker to spoil Gracie’s moment of discovery. But the director was laughing so hard she couldn’t speak and pointed at Gracie.

Gracie was wiping the sloppy kisses off her face but was smiling!  As Riker kissed her again, she began laughing out loud, rocking in her chair as she continued to touch Riker on his back, shoulders, and even his head.

After a few minutes, the director stopped laughing long enough to say, “That’s why I was waiting for Riker!”

Within an hour, Gracie had already walked around the playroom and with a staff member’s help, found her way to the restroom – with Riker by her side, of course. The the two of them went outside and we watched as Gracie explored the playground with Riker by her side. If he moved too far away and she felt alone, she called him back – not by name as she didn’t speak words at all – but by making a sound. He responded to the sound and pushed his nose under her hand.

Soon, a few other children (who had been coached as to how to act around Gracie) were allowed out on the playground. They approached Gracie and Riker, touching Gracie on the arm, petting Riker with her, and making Gracie feel special. Riker paid attention to each of them, too, of course.

Me? I was unnecessary. I was just Riker’s driver. But I also shed a few tears watching my dog do what he does best: making people feel loved and special.

Normally Riker and I visited this day care center once a week. However, we went to see Gracie on a daily basis for a little more than a week so she could settle in. Then we went back to our regular schedule. Gracie is going to face some challenges in her life but she does have people to care for her. Hopefully, Riker helped her in some small way and we’ll continue to visit her as long as we can.

Photo: Riker by Liz Palika

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In my blogging series “The Making of a Therapy Dog,” I said I would keep readers updated on Archer’s progress. Well, Archer is having fun!

When we adopted him, Archer had been through three previous homes as he’d been chosen to live the life of a show dog. His breeder had him for a while, then the handler, then the owner of the stud dog. But he turned out to have a couple of faults so the owner of the stud dog asked us if we wanted him.

Unfortunately, going through so many homes in a short period of time was detrimental and Archer’s attitude was, “OK, these people are nice but I won’t get attached because I won’t be here long.” It really took him a few months before he really bonded with us; then he bonded like, well, the strongest glue made.

Once he did bond, his whole attitude changed. Whereas previously he was somber and serious, now he’s happy, silly, and joyful. Everything is fun and he makes me laugh — oh, he makes me laugh!

His therapy dog visits are going very well. When he’s visiting seniors at nursing homes, he’s very gentle and affectionate. With kids he’s happy and gives kisses.

Recently he visited the local Veterans Administration offices and went through two lobbies and numerous offices, giving loves, kisses and “wiggle butts” as only Australian Shepherds can give them! Big, tough former Marines, Army soldiers and Navy sailors got down on their knees to hug this 50-pound dog, all the while their faces are being washed. It does put a lump in your throat.

Archer is also enjoying his trick training. Long before I wrote my book on trick training, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Dog Tricks,” I’ve been promoting trick training for therapy dogs. Having a therapy dog perform a few tricks is a great ice breaker.  People who may not feel good, may be depressed, anxious or lonely, may smile and even laugh when a dog bows,  shakes hands, balances a treat on each front paw or on his nose.

So far Archer has learned the standards –  shake with right paw, shake with left paw, touch, catch a treat in the air, leave a treat alone, and sneeze. He knows back up and will back all the way across a room when he does it. His “play dead” is hysterical because he lies on the floor on his side — which is great ==  except he holds all four legs straight out as if rigor mortis has set in. Very funny!

Archer is enjoying his trick training so much I’ve had to add a short discussion of it to my family pet training classes. I always talk about trick training to these classes because I encourage people to keep the dog’s mind as busy as his body–  both are important!  Trick training is also great fun and I want people to have fun with their dogs; it makes the bond that much stranger. But that discussion is usually on the last class.

Archer, though, has moved it up several weeks because he has found out he can make people laugh when he does his tricks. Visualize this scene:  People are sitting in chairs in our training yard with their dogs at their feet. My trainers and I are introducing a new exercise or discussing something with the class. Archer, sitting in front of me, is waiting to demonstrate an exercise.

When he feels I’ve talked long enough, he begins offering behaviors  –  tricks. So I may be talking about dogs jumping on people and Archer is sneezing, playing dead, backing away from me –  and the class laughs. He’s taking advantage of the situation; he knows it and I know it. But that laughter is all he needs –  he turns, looks at the class and looks back at me with a huge doggy grin. He knows exactly what he’s done.

I thought about stopping his behavior and may have to later, but right now I’ve been able to turn it into several lessons –  explaining what offering behavior is and means, why it can be great for your training, the fun of trick training, and the fact that training a very smart dog is not always easy!

My thought right now, though, is that I’m going to put his behavior on cue so that I can tell him to do his entire routine when I want him to do it. That way I can have him perform them all at once when I’m ready for it. Then, too,  if I decide later that I don’t want him to show off like this, I can more easily change it.

But meanwhile, Archer is a happy dog and he makes me, and many other people, laugh. What a great life!

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