Therapy Dog Teams

I got into the therapy dog program because of my parents.  Both of them were in a nursing home in Vermont and I had traveled back there to help them out.  So that I would have some company I took my dog Gina and started to take her to the nursing home.  That particular home did not care if Gina was certified or not.  After coming home to Montrose and being friends with Bettye I started to participate with a national therapy dog organization, got Gina her AKC Good Citizen, and got certified by an evaluator.

I’ve seen how simple it is to bring some happiness into people’s lives just by visiting them for a few minutes.  Sometimes the dog is the center of attention.  Other times the dog just gets you in the door and opens up conversation about the dogs people used to have, how they are far from family and don’t get many visitors, how they feel that day, or one of one hundred other things that people want to talk about.

I have met some people who at first did not want a dog visit but months later were glad to see Gina.  I visit one person who tells me about the coon hounds that he used to have.  Another tells me about her show dog and how he was a champion.  I hear the same stories over and over but I let them tell me any way.

There is sadness too, as you watch some one’s health get poorer.  Some people have died, some don’t recognize us any more, some no longer can put a complete thought into words, and some are now too immobile to pet Gina.

Participating in therapy dog work has made Gina an even closer friend to me.  I think that now I can recognize her moods better.  At least I can tell when even she is tire of being petted and just doesn’t want to visit any more.  We started out visiting two homes in a single day.  Now I try not to do that both for Gina’s and my own spirit.

Gina is a black Labrador Retriever.  She is all black except for gray hairs on her chin.  She is 13 years old in 2009, and weighs about 75 pounds.  Her other job is hunting birds, especially ducks.  She loves to swim and will retrieve ducks out of the river no matter how cold it is.  She sits on the river bank, watches the sky for incoming birds, and then gives me dirty looks if I shoot and miss.

In the field she can be wild and full of energy.  At home she can lie in front of the fire and let grandchildren and day care kids (my wife has operated a day care in our home) crawl all over her.  At the nursing home she is calm and gentle unless I get down on the floor with her.  That means play time to her so she starts barking, jumping, and acting like a puppy.

What draws me to become partners with Sheila, my canine companion, in Morningstar’s Therapy Dogs group? It is a combination of things. I see on a daily basis what difference animals make in peoples’ lives. I actually hear the difference a loving touch makes in a heartbeat, see the way physical contact comforts both human and animal companions, revel in the sensation of soft fur, silky ears and solid, warm bulk pressed against me. I know how it makes me feel, and I hear again and again what a blessing it is to my clients. I also share the heartache of older clients who are forced to give up their independent lifestyle and their pets as age dictates a move to assisted living or nursing home facilities. Often as people age and their friends and relatives die or move away, their animal companion becomes their main reason for living. It doesn’t seem right to me that they are forced to part with the one thing that makes it worth getting out of bed in the morning. By being Therapy Partners we can help to reconnect people to that loving acceptance and unquestioning companionship.

It helps, too, that Sheila never gets enough petting and loving up. She is the original “Love Sponge” and thinks her day would be perfect if she could just spend it with her head under someone’s hand. I have been so proud of the way she handled our training. She has had the chance to show off what a good dog she really is, staying quietly when I walked away from her, allowing anyone to approach her and pet her, staying calm while bedpans dropped and walkers clanked her way, and even learning to LEAVE IT when the most delectable treats were right in front of her nose.  I was a little concerned about our testing since we had never done formal dog training, but we passed the tests with flying colors. 

We are now in our fifth year of therapy dog visits.  Sheila still dances and prances when she sees the MTD vest she wears on our visits.  At fourteen, she still loves to meet and greet the staff and residents where we visit, but is more inclined to say hello, get her pats, and then sink into a snooze while I visit with our old friends.  On those rare weeks when I can’t get out, we both miss our visits.

Keven and Ruth Isgar are my neighbors, and their enthusiasm for the Therapy Dog program is contagious!

After our brindle Boston terrier puppy, Maggie, joined our household in August of 2004, we participated in several classes taught by Marion Lewis of Falkenhof Canines, and we also joined the Falkenhof parade team.  One day we were lining up waiting for a parade to start and I noticed a little girl sitting nearby with her mother.  Maggie loves children, and the mother asked if they could pet her.  We approached them, and the little girl looked at the ground, folded her arms, and drew away.  Instead of jumping up on her and licking her face and hands as she is accustomed to doing with my grandchildren, Maggie seemed to know, instinctively, to slow down and approach slowly.  She sat down, then moved forward a few steps, then sat down again.  After several minutes, Maggie was within reach of the little girl, and finally she reached out to touch Maggie.  The mother told me her little girl was autistic and that was the first time she had petted a dog.  We had a couple of similar experiences after that, so  when  Marion offered a Canine Good Citizen Preparation class, with the option of therapy dog testing,  I thought Maggie would be a good candidate.  Then I found out about the Read to Rover program.  Since Maggie loves children, and since it has long been a goal of mine to somehow be involved with children and reading, the Read to Rover program is tailor made for us.   She prances into the school, ears at attention, and greets all with a wiggle and a grin.  She’s a clown who brings out a smile from almost everyone she meets, but she also loves to snuggle up in someone’s lap.   Maggie and I are new to Therapy Dog work, but I can see already that working and learning with her will create an even deeper bond between us, as well as simply being fun!

After becoming registered through Therapy Dogs Incorporated, Cathy Crim and Mica, a six-year-old German shepherd dog, started their visits to care centers five years ago in northern Colorado.  The team regularly dropped in to see folks in the Fort Collins area before joining Morningstar Therapy Dogs in Montrose.  Currently Mica visits Cottonwood Elementary School where second graders read to her as part of Morningstar’s Reading to Rover program.  The kids like their sessions with Mica, often stroking her big ears as they read aloud.  And Mica enjoys her job as listener.  Cathy also finds the school visits rewarding and learns some interesting tidbits too.  For example, when Mica, was introduced to a young group, one 8-year-old child raised her hand and enthusiastically stated, “I have a dog just exactly like Mica.”  After a pause she added, “She’s a bulldog.”

Ruth

I joined the Morningstar Therapy Dogs because I had done this years ago in the Grand Junction area with 4-H and the Grand Junction Kennel Club.  It is a great program to bring joy and comfort to folks who once owned and loved a dog. My dog, Amber, is a sable female Sheltie who loves people and life. She hasn’t met a stranger in the human or canine world. As we arrive at the nursing home she gets excited and barks and whines to get inside to see her friends. She squirms with joy as she greets the first ones just inside the door. When visiting, if a person is down she wont leave them until she is ready so I just sit down and wait. She will lay with them on their bed if they wish.  Amber and I recently qualified for our therapy dog certificate and pin, which indicates that we have completed 250 visits. A visit is defined as one trip to a nursing home where we actually visit with many people on that one trip.  Amber will be 8 years old in June of 2008. I have owned her since a puppy. The rewards of therapy dog visits are awesome!
Amber and I become quite attached to some of the residents. They become part of your life. We hear their stories of their childhood and marriage, which is so rewarding. When they do pass away part of you leaves with them. Amber really loves them and, afterwards, she doesn’t want to go into the room again for the next few visits. I know why they are in the nursing home but she doesn’t. It is so rewarding to be able to visit with the elders the way we do. Amber and I visit 2 local nursing homes each week. We are also invited to start visiting the Acute Rehab Unit of Montrose Memorial Hospital.

 

Keven

Ruth convinced me that doing the therapy visits with my dog, Pearl, would be good for her (Pearl) and me so I started the program at the same time as Ruth in 2004.  Pearl is my little sidekick and likes to go everywhere I go so we got along just fine, visiting the wonderful residents and staff in the two nursing homes that we visit.  Pearl is more standoffish than Amber but enjoys the visits, just doesn’t like being held.  When we pull up to the nursing home she gets excited and pulls me into the building, she wants to see her friends and be admired and praised. They freely do that and she seems to relish it.  I have learned that most of the nursing home residents do a good job of making the transition to living there and are surprisingly upbeat about their physical problems and life in general.  I admire their acceptance and bravery and consider most good friends.  The staff at the homes are admirable people who do a wonderful job caring for the residents. Pearl helps many remember the good times when they had a dog of their own and loved them.  My hope is that if I have to live in a nursing home someday someone will bring a dog in to visit me. Pearl is a small female blue merle Sheltie that will be 10 years old in 2008 that I got when she was 8 weeks old. We also exceeded the 250 visits earning us an certificate of achievement.

Molly came to us in 2005 as a rescue Sheltie. Her owner had terminal cancer and gave her to us about two years ago. She is now about 8 years old. She became a certified therapy dog in July, 2006. Then, the next month she was stomped by a doe deer which caused spinal cord damage affecting her left side. She is still somewhat handicapped now but is undiminished in her love of visiting her friends in the two nursing homes that we go to. The residents know of her physical problems and can really relate to her. She, Pearl and I are an active team visiting two of the local nursing homes every week.

Connie started researching Therapy Dogs a few months before she retired from the State of Colorado.    After retiring, she rescued Gracie, a Shih Tzu, from the local animal shelter.  Gracie seemed the perfect fit as a companion and therapy dog.

Several weeks later, and with lots of help and encouragement from the Morningstar group, Gracie passed her AKC and therapy dog certification testing.  Connie and Gracie started out visiting patients in the nursing home, but switched to the Reading to Rover program at Northside Elementary School in September 2007.      The Therapy Dog visits are the highlight of the week for the firstgraders, who get to read one-on-one with Gracie.  Gracie never critizes the student’s reading skills, and she’s always ready to receive hugs and affection. 

Connie and Gracie hope to share lots of enjoyment through many more years of service to the community.

Rosie was a Christmas present from my son.  He rescued her when she was three months old from a very abusive environment.  She was so afraid that she would not come out from under the couch. She must have felt safe in her new home as she soon began to play and never hid again. 

I first read in the newspaper about Morningstar Therapy Dogs the first year after moving to Montrose.  I felt it would be an organization where Rosie and I might make a difference.   Rosie was certified a year ago with the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen Program and a national therapy dog organization and was ready to go visit.

Rosie has so much energy since she is a herding dog.  She has enjoyed visiting Sunrise Nursing home and the Reading to Rover program at Northside Elementary School.  One of the therapy dog books is “ROSIE, A Visiting Dog’s Story”.  Rosie is sure they are reading her personal story, as she is very attentive.

Rosie will soon be visiting hospice patients.

My love of animals and having their companionship through my life has brought me enormous happiness. Rosie and I want to share our joy with others.

Molly Morgan Burrell and her handler, Wendy, have been a team since Molly became a therapy dog in May of 2008.  Molly has participated in the Reading to Rover program at the Montrose Regional Library on Saturday mornings.  She also accompanies Wendy to the weekly “Pets R Us” after school classes taught by members of the Montrose Animal Protection Agency.

Wendy is a retired elementary school teacher who still enjoys encouraging children to discover the joys of reading, so the therapy dog Reading to Rover program was a natural fit.  Plus, Molly is crazy about kids, so there you have it… a team made for each other!  Members of Morningstar Therapy Dogs have made them feel right at home, helping with Molly’s training, grooming tips, plus offering the camaraderie of people who love to share their wonderful dogs with others.

Don first learned about Therapy Dogs while he and his wife were attending an open house at the new “Cedar Creek Assisted Living Community” in Montrose, where he met Keven & Ruth Isgar and their three Shelty therapy dogs. Being of a curious nature, Don asked about the Therapy Dog program and when he learned about the “Reading to Rover” portion of Therapy Dogs, Don decided he wanted to know more about Therapy Dogs.

With some assistance from current members of Morningstar Therapy Dogs group, Don participated in some additional training, since Heidi had already satisfactorily completed a class in dog obedience training. After a busy summer and fall, Don & Heidi drove to Grand junction for the their therapy certification testing, which Heidi passed with flying colors.

Because Heidi loves people so much, especially children, we immediately submitted our application for membership and certification in order to begin participating in local Therapy Dog activities ASAP. Because of Heidi’s love for children, initially we chose to participate in a local elementary schools reading program. One day a week Don, Heidi and Don’s wife (Betty) go to Cottonwood elementary school where Heidi sits and listens while second grade students read to her. The rewards for participating in this activity are expressed in each and every one of the children’s faces, as they caress Heidi and say hello and goodbye to her. My wife and I walk away from school every week, just filled with the joy of knowing we spent time with those children and in some small way Heidi has enhanced the reading skills and/or interest in reading for each and every one of those beautiful youngsters.

Although we have not yet participated in any other Therapy Dog activities (since we’re still relatively new to Therapy Dogs), we are looking forward to participating in some sessions with some Assisted Living facilities and other like kind facilities.