Kirby brought his favorite bone to show everyone

Memory and dementia care facilities assist clients with failing or failed memories. Short or long term – they just have little or no memory.

It is surprising to some, expected to other, that clients with little or no memory will remember the therapy dogs that visit. Consistency is the key. Regular visits at the same time at least once a week is optimum.

One client once said to me “It’s Monday because Kirby is here.” So the association with a day of the week had been cemented.

Another client said “I like all the dogs but Kirby is my favorite.” Not only did he remember one dog’s name but remembered that others visited as well and he could make that cognitive choice of one over another.

Lucy is so loved

When we visit with clients with failing memory repetition is critical. We never are bothered by the repeated questions:

• What’s his name?
• What kind of dog is he?
• How old is he?
• Is it a boy or girl?
• Is he friendly?
• Does he live with you?
• Does he have brothers and sisters?

These questions elicit interest and jog memories … perhaps of past pets they have had in their own lives. Perhaps just from the prior weeks’ visit.

Benny is always happy to get a hug

We always begin a visit with remembering something from the last visit.

Remember Kirby had surgery – do you know where his scar is?

Lucy brought treats last week – do you remember if they were cupcakes or brownies?

Which dog did I bring last week – Kirby or Benny?

We also give out the dog’s trading cards, little cards with the dog’s photo and brief story about the dog. Some clients have them in their rooms and some carry them in their pockets. Some take them out and look at the real dog and make that critical connection between the photo and live animal.

Any and every tool we can employ to jog memory, give a feeling of confidence and participation, provide a sense of comfort and safety is used during these visits. The dogs are the vehicle for the human to communicate and elicit conversation.

Consistency is beneficial for the dogs as well. They know exactly what to do when they arrive; they know the clients and smells and who likes to be cuddled and who they can just sit quietly next to. When a new dog is introduced it adds to the experience, but it is the “regulars” who make the most impact.

Both ends of the leash have to be engaged and engaging, patient and encouraging and enjoy the time spent with those we visit.

Magellan is on his way to becoming a Pet Partner therapy dog

So often I meet people who tell me “My dog is the friendliest and loves everybody – he would make a great therapy dog.”

The first thing I ask them is “How does your dog show you he loves people?”

They proceed to tell me he runs up to everyone, jumps at them, wags his tail, sometimes tries to lick them and often barks with great joy!

Well, those behaviors do not make great therapy dogs.

Calm, happy, gentle dogs make the best therapy dogs and they show their love without vocalizing, jumping, licking, lunging, or flying into your lap!

To go through the Pet Partner program, the handlers attend a course just for them without their dogs and the dogs have to pass a rigorous test with many elements to assess their true nature and behavior.

What do we look for when meeting a potential Pet Partners therapy team? Here are just some basics:

• The dog has to be at least one year old
• To have lived with his owner for more than six months
• To not be on a raw protein diet
• To have solid basic obedience and walk well on a loose leash, no jumping, barking, reactivity to animals or humans
• To use no negative training equipment such as metal collars (choke, prong) or electronic collars
• To show no reactivity to other dogs or new people or sounds
• To show no nervousness around new surroundings and people
• To show no desire to pick things up off the floor that appeal to him
• To have the desire to work – that spark in his eye when his name is called

And what do we look for in a great owner?

• A great relationship with their dog is key.
• A quiet understanding of each other’s signs and signals and visible joy to be together.
• The time and motivation to become a skilled handler and professional volunteer team.

Kirby was very happy to see his friends again

After taking two weeks off to heal from surgery, Kirby is back to work doing what he does best.

He truly missed going with me for the two weeks and was very sad whenever I would put his brother’s vest on and take him to work instead.

Benny did a very good job covering for Kirby but there is something about little old man Kirby that was truly missed.

Kirby loved being hugged by everyone

As we returned to each of our regular assignments, he was greeted with cheers. Some people in the dementia care facility actually remembered him and knew he had been away. Some had to re-introduce themselves and it was like the first visit over a year ago.

“What’s his name?”

“How old is he?”

“What kind of dog he is?”

It was as if they were meeting him for the first time, and in a way they were. So we went through all the niceties again and again and by the end of the hour they “knew” Kirby.

He played with his bone

When we returned to the skilled nursing facility we visit weekly, we were sad to learn two of our friends had moved out. But there were still many of Kirby’s favorites to visit and quite a few new people for him to meet. He is always excited about that.

Some of our particular “fans” were very interested and concerned about his health and we sat and chatted and I showed them his scars and where his hair had been shaved. My bald little guy will wear a shirt until it grows back.

And when we visited with the children living in a gr0up home for multiply challenged kids, Kirby was really at home. He loves being there and is so kind and gentle and quiet. Just his soft presence lying next to someone is enough for both the child and the dog.

Kirby rested while his friend took a nap

This is when I knew Kirby’s truest value — as one child fell asleep while petting Kirby, Kirby just laid his head down and took a nap too! He knew part of his job was done but he never made a move to ease his body away.  He knew just being there is often enough.

Cheerio's bright smile

Some dogs need time to settle into assignments and hone their skills as therapy dogs. And some are just naturals, born to do this work. Cheerio is one such dog.

Yes she had to learn all his good manners and commands.

Yes she had to learn the Delta Pet Partner way to do things safely.

Yes she had to learn positioning and blocking.

But she already knew how to engage with people and share her love.

Cheerio enjoyed all the attention

Cheerio went on her first assignments in Henderson and Boulder City and shows all the signs of being a therapy star.

She was happy to greet all new people with gentle smile, happy to lean in for easy petting, happy to work alongside another dog.

This is what Cheerio’s owner and therapy partner Cheryl has to say about her natural instincts:

"Pet me some more please!"

“Cheerio is always ready to go and meet new people. I knew she was a natural. When I tell people who know her what she is now doing they say, “She is the perfect dog for that type of work!!” She goes up to others and will gently place her head in their laps. She does not mind one or multiple people petting her. She is also willing to lie at my feet if asked. She is probably the most loving, generous and sweet dog I’ve ever lived with. And when we are visiting I realize how fortunate in life I am. It’s great if we can bring something to help them not think about their issues for just a bit. It’s a win for us all.”

Cheerio is seven years old and just embarking on her new career but shows all the signs of a dog that will work for many years in many different environments with many different populations. Cheerio is the kind of dog that can work with the elderly, frail clients as well as rambunctious children.

So Nevada gains one more exceptional Delta Pet Partner therapy team and Love Dog Adventures is excited to welcome them to our team.

So yes therapy dogs can be created … but the best are just born with that special “something” that makes them the stars.

Read what Patricia McConnell, renowned researcher, writer and dog trainer, has written about this question of whether therapy dogs are made or born.

Benny loves being with his friends every week

When therapy dogs work often they work better.

The value of having a regular, ongoing, consistent assignment is huge. The handler gets to become familiar with the surroundings and the clients, as does the dog. The dog is not always meeting new people and experiencing new smells and sounds. The clients become known to the team and they can predict how the client will react to the dog and visa versa.

One of the key benefits of having a consistent assignment is the bond that develops between the team and clients. The dog will know what to expect and come to feel comfortable.  And will look forward to these visits as he is greeting old friends. And of course there will always be favorites, although as professional volunteers, we do not let this color our visits.

Karen and Lucy spend every Monday with the same people

You will start to see who your dog gravitates towards naturally and often it is the person the dog knows needs them the most.

Consistency also benefits the clients as often the therapy team is their only visitor. This is especially the case in long-term care facilities, dementia care and skilled nursing. The therapy teams bring life and laughter and communication into their lives.

And never underestimate the power of touch.

Often the clients are rarely touched other than for medical procedures. Petting the animal and having a soft touch can mean the world.

Kirby shows his friends his new tricks

Familiarity in dementia care has many other benefits as well. Often the clients do not remember names of people, present or in the past. But they often remember the dogs they meet. We have often heard “Kirby’s here” from clients who do not remember my name, or even their own.

We have even heard “It’s Monday because Lucy is here.”

When shown the photos of the dogs they can often attach the correct name and this prompts sense memory.

So for everyone involved working your therapy dog on a regular basis, be it once a week or more, and returning to the same assignment, is a win-win for everyone.

Coco was the best medicine

Therapy dogs are welcomed in more and more environments and ER’s are no exception.

People often ask me “what do the dogs do in the Emergency Room?”  Aren’t they just in the way with the doctors and nurses too busy, the noises and activity level too crazy for a dog?

Well, perhaps for some dogs but for the Love Dogs chosen to participate, it is their best work.

When people come to an ER they are scared, confused and very emotional. The children are this ten-fold. Even a simple exam can be traumatic. Looking in a child’s ear that is infected is painful. Putting in an IV line on a wiggly, screaming child is difficult. Waiting, waiting, waiting is tedious and boring and frightening.

We always begin the visit by greeting the staff and asking if we are not to enter any particular exam rooms. Any rooms where someone is thought to be infectious or for other reasons not appropriate for visiting, we do not enter.

Then we just work our way room to room.

A crying child will look at the dog, and of course we need dogs that will look directly at a screaming child! This momentary distraction away from whatever is being done helps move the procedures along.

Petting Kirby with one hand while the other is being worked on changes the whole experience.

Having Benny lie down right in the child’s lap or next to him on the bed, makes exams more enjoyable and less frightening.

We are careful with the larger dogs as they may be scary, especially if the child has had a dog bite or other negative experience. This is not the time to try and desensitize the child to a large dog!

Sometimes the ER is not very busy and the dogs can spend a good length of time with one or two children. Sometimes, however, every room is full thus the visits are shorter but we always determine where the dogs can be most useful and spend the most time with those children.

Several dogs working so closely together

Coco the Love Dog was always happy to go to work

When you see a therapy dog team in the parking lot, entering a building or walking down a hallway, your first impression of that team is what stays with you forever.

You notice that the dog is wearing a vest or bandana and appears to be a working dog.

• Is the dog quiet and walking nicely by his owner’s side?
• Is the dog wearing a regular collar or a metal collar and leash which to some people signal that the dog is not controlled and safe?
• Is the team calm and relaxed?
• Is the dog displaying any behavior that appears threatening, scary or uncontrollable?
• Is the dog interested in where he is and not anxious?
• 

  KC is always patient and waits for her owner to take the first step

  Is the dog pulling his owner down the street or hallway?

• Is the dog jumping around?
• Is the owner yelling at his dog or jerking on the leash?
• If there is more than one team together, are the dogs calm and not barking or looking to play?
• And most importantly, does the dog and handler seem happy to be together and where they are headed?

The evaluation for Delta Pet Partner teams begins before the team even knows they are being observed. The Evaluator watches the team park, get out of their car, walk around and enter the test site.

Benny likes to splay his lega when in the Down and Wait

Why?

Because every time a therapy team is out in public anywhere people are watching. And the team is always representing therapy animals and Pet Partners.

Perception is everything. Pet Partners’ goal is to “inspire confidence,” confidence in the safety of the dog, the training and abilities of the owner and confidence that the team knows what they are doing and enjoying every aspect of volunteering.

So that first impression is critical and sets the stage for every interaction to come afterwards.

Bailey loves to lie down for easy cuddles

There are twenty three elements teams must pass to become Pet Partners. These include Skills and Aptitude elements, far more than the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizenship test requires.

One of the most crucial commands every Pet Partner must have is the Down. They need to have a strong, solid Down and then the Stay so they can position themselves on the floor, beds and laps for smaller dogs or anywhere they need to squeeze into place for easy petting and handling.

George stays Down to hear a whole story

When in Reading programs the dogs need to be Down and Stay on their Place for long periods of time while children read to them and cuddle them. Whether the dog is large or small sudden movement can be distracting, scary and dangerous.

When working with adults or children with challenges, the sudden movement of the dog, even lifting up of his head, can cause stress in the client, fear and often an accident.

The more hands on her the better for KC

Unsteady hands on a dog can frighten the dog and it is the handler’s responsibility to make sure the dog is confident and comfortable and in a position whereby any client with any limitation can reach out and touch.

Large dog handlers are taught to always have their dog’s head turned away or cupped in their hands.  They learn how to position their own hands to keep their dog in a steady down so they can be the first to anticipate movement should it occur.

Kirby is very happy on his Place

For smaller dogs the handler needs to know their dog will Down on their blanket or towel on a bed or lap and stay there.

And when the dog needs to be out of the way for people rushing down hallways or an emergency going by, the steady Down will ensure everyone’s safety.

Kirby is so steady no matter how long it takes for that first touch

So don’t overlook this very basic but critical skill your dog needs to become an effective therapy dog.

Benny stays in how Down next to a special friend