 |
| Dr. Keenan |
- We provide training through twice-yearly workshops that enable handlers in facilitating visits with their animal in a variety of settings.
- Examples of settings include hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living centers, alzheimer units, psychiatric units and adult foster homes.
- Some of our handlers are professionals that use their certified therapy dog or cat in their clinical practice.
- Library Dogs- we have dogs that go into local libraries to assist children with learning difficulties to read in a non-threatening arena.
- Schools- Some of our handlers take their dogs into the classroom to assist children with various learning difficulties including working with autistic children.
- Public education venues- we provide presentations and demonstrations in a variety of public venues explaining the Paws For Love Therapy Dogs program- what are therapy dogs, and what do they do.
USING DOGS AS AN ADJUNCT TO THERAPY
by Patty Storkel,
Paws For Love Therapy Dogs Program Director
It is now universally recognized by many professional organizations* that patients in various clinical and social settings can obtain physical, mental and psychological benefits with the use of dogs (as well as other animals) in the course of treatment.
Currently, the main obstacle in utilizing dogs resides with individual staff perception that dogs transmit disease, parasites, and “do not belong in a clinical setting”. My response to this is that this may have been an accurate assessment 20 or more years ago, but is not valid today.
Certified Therapy Dog handlers and their dogs received specific training and instruction pertaining to patient visitations provided by the certifying organization. These handlers are operating at a higher level of awareness of the importance of the care their dogs receive. This includes routine veterinary care, vaccinations, parasite control (both internal and external), and an understanding of the medical impact a dog in poor condition could have on visiting patients. Advancements in required parasite control render dogs parasite free** - a condition virtually unknown 20 years ago.
Medical advances in the canine arena have kept pace with human advances. Tests and screening for specific zoonotic entities is available on a much broader scope today. Dogs can be tested to rule out the presence of a specific bacteria or virus if contamination is suspected in individual instances. For those people participating in the field of Animal Assisted Therapy and Animal Assisted Activities, the dogs*** they bring to patients may be safer from a zoonotic perspective than some family members that visit those patients.
* Refer to the Delta Society, Therapy Dogs International, and The Latham Foundation for specific studies and reports conducted over a 30-year time-span.
** Advantage~’, Frontline~, Revolution, and Heartguard, TM are a few of the current biologicals that render dogs pest & parasite-free.
***These dogs are Certified Therapy Dogs - not your ordinary dog from the back yard. These dogs are obedience trained and well socialized. Both handler and dog have been certified after passing course work and aptitude testing, and are astute in working in clinical settings with their dog.
