Brandy and Val

Last Saturday, we got re-evaluated so that we could continue our work as pet therapy dogs.  A lot of people ask our mom what we have to do during this process so we thought we’d tell you firsthand!

Well, the whole thing takes about 45 minutes.   I think Val and I were the only two dogs that day that weren’t collies except for a Burmese Mountain Dog.  Anyway, they make us go through a series of tests to make sure that “our dispositions” are still good that we won’t get irritated in a variety of circumstances.

The first thing we had to do was greet the other dogs in a friendly, non-confrontational fashion and gently accept dog treats from the other handlers.  We were really good at that.  Then we had to sit and stay while mom and dad went away for a minute or so.  I guess this was to make sure that we were well behaved and didn’t wander away from our position when not directly supervised.  We were so happy when mom and dad came back and we were even allowed to run to greet them.   Since we work with a lot of children who are not mobile or who are disabled on one side, we were tested to make sure we could go over and sit by someone in a chair at arm’s length on the left and right sides as well as approach from the front.   The part of the exam that was most fun for us was when all these people came over to us and kept petting us.  We didn’t get why that was part of the test since it felt so good, but they wanted to make sure we didn’t get nervous around all those people coming at us.  Since Brandy and I also go on book appearances and story times, we were used to that and it was no problem at all.  Then someone came over to us and checked us out to make sure that we were being well taken care of and that we didn’t get upset when someone came to look at our teeth, pick up our paws, check our coats out.  I don’t really like when people pick up the foot that was broken but it didn’t really hurt.  I broke my foot when I was wandering the streets after Hurricane Katrina.   There was also another feeding test from the proctor of the exam and Brandy and I both got complimented on how gentle we are.    Mom and dad also had to submit a form with a list of all the tricks and games we can do.  We hope that impressed the testers!  Finally, there were a few commands of the ho-hum variety:  the “sits” the “stays” the “downs.”   That was it!

Good to go.  Happiness for all.

Do you have a positive experience to share with us about dog therapy?  Please tell us!  Our mission is “to do good where good is needed” and we’d love to share your stories with others to help benefit animals and children nationwide.  Visit our website http://www.BrandyandVal.com for more details on how we help.

We just wanted to share with you some of the new exercises we’re doing with our students since they are a bit more advanced than those we did last year.  That’s a good sign of progress then so that’s a good thing.  For those of you who are new to the blog, welcome!  Here’s a little background so you know where we’re at in the pet therapy conversation.  We work with children/some now young adults, afflicted with Autism Spectrum Disorder ranging in ages from grade school through 21!  They run the gamut as to the extent of their disability; some have motor skill challenges, many are non-verbal; some have both motor skill and cerebral deficits.  In any case, we love to visit and play with them in hopes of helping these kids lead happier lives that allow them to interact more freely and socially with their friends, family and the people they meet along the way!

One of the new games we’ve introduced is bowling.  The pins are made of soft cushions with bright numbers and colors on them.  The participants first have to set the pins down according to number or color.  This helps, obviously, with number and color learning.  It also helps with motor skills because the kids have a chance to get up, walk, focus on a task, hold on to the pin until it’s set in place.  THEN, here’s the fun part!  They get to take a “Nerf-like” ball and roll it down to hit the pins.  Everyone takes turns but our favorite is when we get to go since we knock the pins down with our noses.  Instead of rolling a ball, we look for a treat that is hidden near or under a pin.  Everyone thinks it’s funny to watch us do it.  We just like the treat.

In the first pet therapy post of this school year, we talked about having pictographs with commands on them that the kids can use and point to or speak out to us.  Well, now, we’ve added a twist:  we COMBINE commands, so, for example, instead of a kid asking us to “sit” they may now have to add 2 more to the sequence like “sit” “stay” and then “come.”  Pretty neat, huh?

So, now we’ll do this for a while because people with ASD like routine so we want them to get used to this.

In case you didn’t know, our mission at Brandy and Val, LLC is “to do good where good is needed.”  Not only do we participate in pet therapy programs in our community but we also have a series of children’s board books and toys that look like us.  Profits from the sales of our products help animal rescues and children’s causes throughout the country!

We encourage EVERYONE to participate and contribute to our blog and give us new ideas that we can do in pet therapy or add to the causes that make a difference in the lives of others.

So this past week we began our pet therapy sessions working back at the special needs school with autistic children.  It was good to see so many of the same faces and we felt immediately comfortable back with them in the classroom.   For those who have some form of autism along the spectrum, having a routine is comforting and so everyone responded well to seeing our familiar faces and wagging tales!  That they remembered us and were not afraid to see us was a promising start.

This year, we hope to encourage and develop more language skills and the teachers were nice enough to provide mom and dad with a sheet of pictographs they can use as guides.  On each sheet there are several pictures with commands/words and hand signals the children can use with us.  For example, “sit,” “down,” “walk,” “stay,” and “treat” are very popular words chosen.  We are happy to oblige, especially when it comes to receiving treats.  Some of the more advanced students know states and one of the classrooms has a big carpet with a map of the U.S. .  The states are also colored so not only can we walk to certain states but they can also be identified by color.  So, the kids learn geography, color and get a chance to move around with us.  Then they get to feed us a treat which helps their motor skills.

During the course of the school year, we’ll give updates on everyone’s progress.

A few weeks ago we talked about some breakthrough moments we had during our sessions and wondered whether we were going to be able to repeat the process of having two, very nervous autistic children who were scared of Brandy take a walk with her.  Well, I am glad to report that INDEED, these same children were very willing to walk with my sister and had an equally good time.  One of the kids even held mom’s hand and patted it.  Awesome.  We wonder how this translates, if it does, to other aspects of their lives.  We hope it does.  Another big moment for Brandy occurred when the sole remaining child in the class who wouldn’t acknowledge her agreed to wave “hi” and “bye” and looked at her when he did this.  He even kind of agreed to maybe touch her next week.  Wouldn’t that be great.

As for me, well, I “flew solo” today.  The other dog I normally work the room with was absent so it was up to me to carry the day.  I think I did a great job working with so many children and dad keeps calling me a star, so it must be true.  We did all my favorite activities:  walking with the children; taking treats from them; being brushed by them; playing the cup game in which I get to find my treat and playing GET MINNIE where I retrieve my mini-Val toy from a basket and bring it over to the person calling my name.  It was a good day.

I think we’re ready for much deserved naps.

We had major breakthroughs at pet therapy this week that I want to share with you.  In my session with mom, two children who absolutely, positively would not communicate or show any emotion with me agreed to go on a “walk.”  Maybe it’s because they are used to me by now or maybe it was something else, but the kids walked with enthusiasm, laughed and smiled.  This made it a really good session for me.  I wonder if,  the next time we visit, they will remember this outing and go with me again for a walk.  Maybe they will pet me. One boy gave me a treat on a fork and he seemed to really like that.  I know I did, after all, who doesn’t like getting a treat?  I really hope that they understood something good was going on!

Later when we met up with Val and dad, Val told me that he did 3 roll-overs on his own without any help and the children in his group all clapped and laughed.  I know he really loves little girls, I bet when he lived in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina he had a sister but I also know he really likes it when everyone gives him good attention, too!

A big cheer to all the children who participated this week and whom we gave some happiness to.

OK, so mom in a previous post talked about pet therapy programs and what they are, but, from the pet’s point of view, why do we like doing it?

We love going to “Read to Rover” programs in libraries because kids come in to read to us. We love having them around and it’s like they’re talking only to us the whole time.  For a whole hour,  we get undivided attention while we basically do nothing.  Then, at the end of every 15 minute reading session we usually GET A TREAT!  That makes 4 an hour!   The most stressful thing we have to do is wag our tails when we say “hi” and “bye” to the kids.  Almost all the kids hug us or scratch our bellies. How great is that?

When we go to school programs, though, we do have to work and think a whole lot more.   The programs are enjoyable but in a different way.  We work with autistic children and lots of times, they don’t talk at all and we have to figure out a way to get them to show they like us.  Maybe they are afraid of us or maybe they really love us but just don’t know how to show it yet.  So, we have to approach each child carefully until we are sure they relate to us in a positive way.  After all, we don’t want to scare them and we don’t want them pulling our ears or tails.  We have been very lucky so far. We have more friends than not and a few of the kids who were afraid of us at the start, now touch us a little bit and that makes us feel good.    During these programs, we get brushed and fed carrots and usually we play a few games that help the kids identify colors or numbers or words.  It’s really great when we hear the kids laugh or when they call our names and want us to come over. We hope that our working with them will help their lives in other situations and make them happier.  They make new friends and so do we.

For over 20 years, I have been involved with a variety of tutor/mentoring programs, teaching English as a second language, promoting adult literacy and working with children in various capacities.  About a year ago, my husband and I wanted to do an activity that we could do together with Brandy and Val, so, after receiving their Canine Good Citizenship certificates, we started working in pet therapy programs.  Our participation to date includes ongoing school and library programs and one-time events such as a Dog Safety Workshop for elementary aged children and their mentors.

What is pet therapy or animal assisted therapy (AAT)?  It’s where animals and their handlers work with individuals to help them overcome specific physical, social or emotional obstacles or help them achieve certain goals that will ultimately improve their health and overall quality of life.  The theory behind a lot of it is that people will relate to animals in ways that they won’t or can’t with other humans.  They become uninhibited, will open up to the pets or even try new tasks since there is no fear of being judged or ridiculed by another adult or peer.  Interaction with pets has also shown to have positive health benefits on lowering blood pressure and stress!

We have worked in library reading programs–”Read to Rover” and “Paws to Read” are popular titles–where children will read to the dogs at 15 minute intervals and, during that time, the kids sit next to Brandy or Val and simply read a book at their own pace without adult intervention.  The children can stop and pet the dogs or they can just keep reading.  At the end of the 15 minutes, there is a little time for Q&A or giving treats.   Some children are excellent readers and just enjoy being around the dogs; others stumble or mumble at first and as the time or program goes on, their confidence seems to build and their reading and elocution improves.

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