Brandy and Val

It’s no surprise to us all that Jane Goodall, the woman who taught us all about the lives and world of chimpanzees, likes dogs.   My presumption is,  and I am hoping this is not a stretch, that she like most animals.  In any case, I was reading an article in the FINANCIAL TIMES about her yesterday and thought I’d share with you some of the great things she does say about our canine friends and her philosophy:

Since our mission at Brandy and Val, LLC is “to do good where good is needed,” we love that she says that “each of us can make a difference every day” She has recently focused her mission on conversation through a global program called ”Roots and Shoots” where she urges the under 20+ set to help other animals and the environment.  Since they are the next generation inheriting the planet and being responsible for what happens to it, we say, you go girl!

With regard to dogs, we’ll just simply quote:  ”…dogs are my favorite because of the deep relationship they have with us.  There’s something about having a dog in a room full of people that just illustrates that so well.  It opens the heart.  And if it doesn’t they’re not the sort of people I want to know.” I’ve always wondered who you can like or trust people who don’t like animals or plants.

Try this on for size:  ”I get so upset by the way people think that in order to train a dog you’ve got to have dominance and that you’ve got to have instant obedience.” Despite what everyone says, I personally have never had any animal where I stress dominance.  I really try to create a symbiotic environment where I’m thought of as the pack leader and mutual respect and boundaries are fostered.   Somehow it works.  I, for one, also really get upset with the crating mentality.  Sorry to you all who truly believe in it and give me the mantra that their dogs “like it” because they know it’s their space and they have to have a safe zone.    Guess what?  Brandy and Val each have their own beds and when they want their own space, it’s all theirs.  They also have never been crated in our house.  Try giving them a room when you leave if being cordoned off is required.  I don’t know and  maybe it’s just dumb luck but they are very well behaved and when in public areas, my husband and I are always being complimented on how calm they are.  Perhaps it’s the love, attention, respect we give them, in addition to the training they’ve had that creates this environment and adds to their happiness and well-being?  It’s worked for me and all the other pets/dogs I’ve ever had.

And finally, remember this one as your pup chases after the rabbit or chipmunk in your yard: “He’s not naughty, he’s just being a dog.” Brandy and Val like that one the most since I tend to get a little flustered when they try to play cat and mouse with the locals!

Ms. Goodall, thanks for all the work you do and the wise, insightful world you’ve opened up to us all on how we look at and treat animals.  To learn more about her work, visit the site of the Jane Goodall Institute.

Brandy and Val work hard to make the world a better place for its’ current and future inhabitants.  It is through their work as pet therapy dogs and through the sales of their books and toys that benefit animal shelters that they try to accomplish this.

Summer is finally here, although, at times, it doesn’t much feel like it.  There’s been lots of rain throughout the country but we try to focus on the sunny, warm days that we can all be outside to play!

Brandy and Val wrapped up their pet therapy school year on a very positive high note.  The kids really responded this year and were much more comfortable and interactive in the pups’ presence.   The strides taken are a cumulative process and  we can’t stress how important we think our work is to the kids.  They have really warmed up to them and we can see how much they appear to enjoy having Brandy and Val around and interacting with them.

Our work on the top of pet therapy was featured in two articles this past spring.  One on the website Acting Balanced which is hosted by a mom with a child who has Autism Spectrum Disorder.  The other appeared in the Calgary Herald.  We are grateful for the opportunity to speak about what we do and spread the word about how pet therapy dogs enhance the lives of others.

Continuing on with that theme, Brandy and Val will be making another appearance at the Center For Independence camp the end of the month.  The campers are comprised mostly of children who have CP (Cerebral Palsy) and MD (muscular dystrophy).  We enjoy bringing added happiness to their day.

As our mission is “to do good where good is needed” we hope you will continue to remember that with the continuing sagging economy, many pets are being neglected and abandoned.  It is through the sales of our toys and books -BRANDY AND VAL, BRANDY AND VAL’S FAVORITE THINGS and BRANDY AND VAL’S SPECIAL STORY — that we also help animal sanctuaries throughout the country such as Best Friends and Pets Alive.   In addition, 100% of the sales from BRANDY AND VAL’S SPECIAL STORY go to support Fortunate Pooches and Lab Rescue, the shelter that both Brandy and Val were adopted from.  SOOOOOO, feel good knowing that you are helping and animal in need with every item purchased from us!

As always, thank you for your continued support and enjoy the season!

Ilene Fine, Author

Brandy and Val, Real Dogs with Real Tales

So, a few weeks ago marked the end of another school year helping out the kids afflicted with autism spectrum disorder.  We think we did a lot of good stuff and so saw major progress.  In retrospect, probably more progress than last year but we are sure it’s a cumulative thing.  Part of what goes on with these kids is that they like consistency in their lives and the fact that we are a regular part of their schedule makes them more comfortable.  The students know we are part of their routines and they love when we come into the rooms.

Brandy says: In the past, I spoke of two kids who I work with who were so afraid they would barely touch me and would often flinch away.   By the end of this year, both would take me for walks and would pet me on several parts of my body–from the head down my back.  They would also look at me and talk to me.  This was a very dramatic and uplifting turn of events.  With both of our classes, the kids had pictograph cards with multiple words or phrases.  By the end of the year, the kids had their “favorite” commands they would like to do with me, but, generally, by the end of they year, all could read and/or respond to the words and pictures on the cards.  With the more advance kids, we were able to do multiple word exercises like: “WALK” “SIT” “SHAKE” “UP” and walk back around the room.  It was fun to do a variety of tasks at one time and the kids really liked doing this.  It was more interesting to them than only doing one word commands.

Val says:  My kids are younger than the ones that Brandy works with so we like to play games that have to do with colors and numbers.  The cup game, where we hide food under a colored cup and then I get to “find” it by flipping the cup over with my nose is very popular.  The kids really think it’s funny when I find the treat.  One of the favorite activities, though, continues to be when they get to walk the hallways with me.  I think they feel important and empowered that they get to walk around the building with me and no one else gets to do that.  Also, people in the hall give us attention and we all like that!

We look forward to see where we are headed next year.  We have asked the teachers to come up with some expanded activities based on all we’ve accomplished this year.  Happy Summer!

Brandy and Val’s mission is to enrich the lives of others through their pet therapy duties and through the sales of their books and toys.  They hope to help the families, as well as the children, they work with and sales from their products benefit animal sanctuaries throughout the U.S.  To learn more about these special dogs, visit their website, Brandy and Val, LLC.

Brandy and Val try to spread the love by helping people through their pet therapy duties and through the sales of their books and toys. Included in their board book series is: BRANDY AND VAL, REAL DOGS WITH REAL TALES; BRANDY AND VAL’S FAVORITE THINGS and BRANDY AND VAL’S SPECIAL STORY.  To learn more about the causes Brandy and Val support, visit their website at BrandyandVal.com

Following up on last week’s post, I went to see WRETCHES & JABBERERS this past weekend and was pleased to see the theater fill up to almost capacity.   The documentary did not disappoint and it was exciting and touching to be a part of Tracy and Larry’s world and world-wide adventure.  My husband, who did not attend the symposium with me two weeks ago, was as impressed with and surprised by Tracy and Larry’s accomplishments and achievements as was I.  We both clearly wondered how many of the kids with whom we work can achieve more than they are being given credit for?  Why isn’t more being done to  help this group forge friendships  amongst themselves and find employment in areas that don’t require strong verbal skills?

It was so emotional to watch Tracy and Larry interact with their peers who have autism, and watch them form friendships, socialize and have conversations as you and I would have.  Their abilities to type opened up their world of communication.  The people they met up with in Japan, Finland, Sri Lanka were thrilled to have met people just like them who were functioning at a high level in society .   My heart went out to all of them who clearly did not want Tracy and Larry to leave.    Tracy and Larry have become role models and world ambassadors for those afflicted with autism and I hope that the friends they met along the way who are also being misunderstood because they are non-verbal will make the cause their own in their own countries a la Tracy and Larry.

The film made me so curious to find out how people with autism are being assessed and tested in the country and what is being done to create opportunities for them.   How can I help the process move forward?  Will Brandy and Val and other pet therapy dogs have a role ?  I have a lot of reading to do!

Our mission at Brandy and Val, LLC is “to do good where good is needed.”  It is through our book and toy sales and pet therapy duties that we hope to enrich the lives of others and help animals in need throughout the country.  Want to comment or contact us?  We’d love to hear from you.  http://www.BrandyandVal.com

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.

So we were so excited last week when our pet therapy kids gave us a hand-made thank you note for the Brandy and Val books and toys we gave them as Holiday gifts.  We know they worked very hard to make this happen.  Everyone signed his/her name and some even wrote a comment.   One kid wrote, “Awesome books” and another told us that he put his mini-Brandy toy next to his puppy at night so it wouldn’t feel lonely in the dark.  Things like that make us feel good knowing that we are touching kids’ lives in a positive way and making them happy, too! There were even one or two more kids that were extra friendly to us this time.  I wonder if seeing us at home has something to do with that?

We at Brandy and Val, work hard to “do good where good is needed.”

Can you believe Thanksgiving is upon us?  Families will be coming, going, gathering and eating and we will all be giving “thanks” for the blessings we have in our lives.  Then the craziness known as the “Holiday Shopping Season” will be upon us fast and furious.  But, before we get to that, a few things:

Brandy and Val, the dogs, finally got to meet Zachary’s mom a few weeks ago.  See our Facebook page for photos!  It’s hard to believe that even though Zachary provided the inspiration for writing the Brandy and Val series, neither he nor his mom have been out to visit since the pups became a part of our family!  We hope that a visit from Zachary will now be in the making.  While we are on the subject of giving thanks and “doing good where good is needed” (our mission), did you know that sales of our books and toys benefit Prader Willi Syndrome Association, the disorder that Zachary is afflicted with and, which, to date, has no cure.

Since our sales also help several animal sanctuaries and rescues throughout the Country, I’d also like to mention Help Save A Stray, an organization that provides a nationwide network of connections betwen animal lovers and shelters.  Kudos to all the work they do–they also have an online store where profits go to shelters of your choosing!  Now through December 15, if you order from us and mention Help Save A Stray, we will send you a FREE mini-Brandy or mini-Val toy.

Our Blog, “What We Are Barking About” also talks about causes that we support in addition to giving pet therapy updates.  We work with children/young adults suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorder and we are very pleased that in the past week, one child who, for one entire year would not go near Brandy, has now brushed and pet her for two weeks in a row AND says Brandy is nice.  We’re also thrilled that two of our other non-verbal, non-emotive students “high-fived” us and smiled with us.  We can only hope that these positive developments can be extrapolated to greater happines in these kids’ lives and with their friends and family.

We hope that you will include our books – BRANDY AND VAL, BRANDY AND VAL’S FAVORITE THINGS and BRANDY AND VAL’S SPECIAL STORY - and toys on your gift lists for any pre-schoolers you have in your lives.  They’re affordably priced, heartwarming and gifts that give back.  Thank you for your support.

Ilene Fine, Author

Brandy and Val, Real Dogs with Real Tales

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.

Alas, for Brandy and Val, the swimming season has ended and the days are now filled with cornering chipmunks and squirrels followed by periods of rest amongst the piles of leaves.  For the rest of us at Brandy and Val, we continue focusing on “doing good where good is needed” where, through the sales of our books:  Brandy and Val, Brandy and Val’s Favorite Things, and Brandy and Val’s Special Story, we are able to benefit animal shelters nationwide.

My alma mater, Washington University in St. Louis, published a profile about us in its’ October Magazine that truly captures the essence of what we at Brandy and Val, LLC are all about.  The pups’ recent appearance at the Character Counts social also provided an excellent forum as we help spread the word that good citizenship, character and empathy benefits society as a whole.  Apparently, the Senate and President Obama fell the same since this week has been nationally recognized through Resolution 658 as “National Character Counts Week”.

Pet Therapy continues for Brandy and Val as they work with special needs children (mostly those afflicted with Autism Spectrum Disorders).  Their continued participation in the Read to Rover library program advances the cause for literacy as children read comfortably, without adult intervention, to the dogs.  We’ll be updating our progress soon on our blog, “What We’re Barking About” so look out for it.

Now’s the time to start planning for Holiday Gift Giving.  In addition to our books, plush toys resembling Brandy and Val are also available individually, as a pair or combined with a book.  Your continued support of us helps others and we really appreciate that.

Regards,

Ilene Fine, Author

Brandy and Val, Real Dogs with Real Tales