RoverPundit

Therapy dogs

This is mostly for Ali, whose guide dog flunkee* Tyson, bless his pointy little head**, works as a therapy dog at Craig Hospital. Nice to see therapy dogs getting some press.

HEALTH CARE: Therapy dogs bring smiles to patients

JAMESTOWN, N.D. -Ferbie grew up on a farm near Windsor, N.D., where, like many other Shetland sheep dogs, he was to spend his life herding cattle. But Ferbie lacked the herding instinct.

And when Ferbie began teaching another farm dog how not to herd cattle, his owners called the James River Humane Society to see if it had room for him.

Kaye John, president of the society, had been looking for a Sheltie to train as a therapy dog. Ferbie was adopted immediately and, at age 3, he moved to Jamestown for a new career.

John, who works with preschool children at Head Start, had seen therapy dogs brighten the days of people in hospitals and nursing homes.

"I saw what these animals could do for the elderly people," John said.

At first, John considered using the shelter's dogs to visit residents at nursing homes and the Anne Carlsen Center for Children. The James River Humane Society could not afford liability insurance, so she decided to pursue the idea privately.

There's more, well worth reading.

*Tyson is a Golden Retriever who is unfortunately possesed of an enhanced prey instict and dominance issues. Basically, he chases anything that moves, and he doesn't listen. Alison raised him from a puppy, volunteering for Guide Dogs for the Blind, and truly delivered above and beyond the call of duty. It's just a fact of life that the vast majority of candidates don't make it through the training and are adopted out of the program. Some, like Tyson, become "career change dogs" and work as therapy dogs or canine companions.

**If I can get a picture, I'll post it. He is a cute dog, though the "pointy little head" remark is not mere hyperbole. He's like a memo spike with feet.

Posted by Dork at April 21, 2003 05:30 PM | TrackBack