Therapy Dogs Making a Difference for Children

I met my friend Christine Orantes in the children’s reading program at our local library in Phoenix.  It’s a program where kids read aloud to therapy dogs to help improve their reading skills.  Icy and I were one of the Pet Partners therapy dog teams that volunteered at our library along with Christine.  At each visit, Christine would have one of her 3 beautiful therapy dogs with her.

Christine has been a Therapy dog handler, on and off, since the year 2000.  I’d like to share the amazing work she and her therapy dogs have done to help children and give back to the community.   Christine graciously agreed to do an interview for Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them.  Grab a tissue and get ready for your heart to be seriously warmed!

DOGS LUV US AND WE LUV THEM: Christine, how many dogs do you have & how many are therapy dogs?

Retired therapy dog Bette Davis taking a bite of her birthday Pupcake!

CHRISTINE: I have 3 Golden Retrievers, 2 of them are therapy dogs.   The oldest is Bette Davis who is 14 years old. She used to be a therapy dog but she can no longer do it because she has cancer now (due to an oral growth).   

DOGS LUV US AND WE LUV THEM: I had the pleasure of meeting Bette Davis at one of our earlier children’s Reading To Dogs programs.  She was a wonderful therapy dog, she’s definitely one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever met.  A very special Golden!

CHRISTINE : Then there’s Polly, who is 8 years old and Higgins who is going on 6 years old.  

Sweet therapy dog Polly, dresses up for the kids in the reading to dogs program

DOGS LUV US AND WE LUV THEM:  Christine got all of her dogs as adult rescues except Higgins.  Higgins is goofy and playful, and was born blind.  When I first met Higgins at one of our kids’ reading sessions, I had NO idea he was blind!  I just saw a beautiful, sweet and loving Therapy Dog.  When I found out he was blind I was shocked.  Honestly, you would never know he was blind if someone didn’t tell you! 

CHRISTINE:  Higgins came from a breeder as a puppy.  He was born blind and the breeder was going to put him down!  The dogs I’ve rescued were all "disposable" dogs, and look how they give back to the community as Therapy Dogs!

When people hear you have a blind dog they feel sorry.  No, don’t be sad or feel sorry!   The dogs don’t know they’re blind.  They can be part of a pack and a family.  I never treated my blind dogs (she’s had several) like they were disabled, I always pushed them to their limits and let them feel they were ENABLED not DISABLED.  Don’t baby them and act like they can’t do things, you limit them when you do that.  I treat them normally, no pity parties!

Beautiful therapy dog Higgins is blind, but it doesn't stop him from helping children or enjoying life!

Higgins loves to swim at the dog beach & chase his friends around!  I use heavier balls that make noise to play with so they can find the ball!  Emma, Higgins’ sister, is also blind.  Their entire litter was born blind!  Higgins and all his siblings were born with Juvenile cataracts.   Their eyes weren’t developed properly behind the cataracts.  The Breeder had de-wormed the mom while she was pregnant, and that may have caused all the puppies to be born blind.  Or, the mom & dad could have had this blindness gene, we don’t know for sure.

DOGS LUV US AND WE LUV THEM:  It’s incredible that blind dogs can make such great Therapy Dogs!  Can you imagine, a breeder was going to rob Higgins of the chance to live, simply because he is blind!  Higgins has given so much to this world and has made a real difference in the lives of children. 

DOGS LUV US AND WE LUV THEM : What made you want to get involved working with therapy dogs?

CHRISTINE : I wanted to give something back.   I felt so blessed to have one of my earlier dogs Maggie, who was amazing.  It inspired me to give back.  

I had gotten a call about a Golden Retriever Rescue who needed help.  The dog’s owner said she had this “horrible dog” she wanted to give up.   At the time, I wanted a female Golden Retriever about  1-2 yrs old with a nice golden color.   I decided to see this “horrible dog”.   

Turns out, the “horrible dog” was the friendliest most beautiful dog!   Maggie had been kept outside alone and was never allowed in.  It's no surprise that she became “destructive”.   Maggie had chewed up the sprinklers and the kids’ stuffed toys.  She wasn’t trying to be bad, she just loved stuffed toys and she loved kids!  She just wanted to come inside and be with the kids.   As soon as I got Maggie, I took her to PetSmart and let her  pick out a toy.  She picked out a stuffed Hippo.  She never wanted any other toys, just that Hippo.

Maggie ended up being an amazing gift for me.  Because of this gift I was given, I wanted to pay back somehow.   I never had a Therapy Dog before, but I always wanted one.   Before Maggie, I never felt I had the right dog for therapy work.   With Maggie, I had the right dog, she fit the profile of a Therapy Dog perfectly.   She loved kids and was the perfect Therapy Dog.

DOGS LUV US AND WE LUV THEM: In addition to the kids reading program at the library, what other type of visits do you and your therapy dogs do?

CHRISTINE :  We visit the Oncology department at the Children’s hospital.  We also visit the College, where the dogs help ease the stress students feel during exams.    We tried visiting a nursing home, but I realized my dogs liked kids so much, that working with kids was a better fit for them.

DOGS LUV US AND WE LUV THEM: Is there a particular therapy visit that stands out with you more than others?

Christine shared these two heartwarming stories with me.  I’m tearing up again writing about it. Grab a tissue, if these stories don’t bring tears to your eyes, better check your pulse!

CHRISTINE :  My Therapy Dog Cody, who has since passed, visited the children’s hospital with me.  Cody had this shark toy he loved.  He brought it around with him everywhere we went, even on our therapy visits. 

We were at the children’s hospital making our “rounds” to see who might need a visit, when a nurse came over to us.  She said there was a child who was extremely frightened and needed some attention.  The little boy had a stuffed penguin toy he was clutching in fear.  He would not let go of it and he wouldn’t interact with anyone.

I brought Cody in to see the boy and asked if he would like to meet Cody and pet him.  “NO!” the boy cried and turned away.  I had Cody’s shark toy in my pocket.  I gave Cody his shark and without a word, he went over to the boy.  He leaned in close so he could show the boy his shark toy.  The boy then showed his penguin toy to Cody and started giggling!   The boy’s mother said to me “This is the first time he’s smiled since he got here!”

Beautiful Cody with his shark toy, the toy that helped get a frightened boy to open up. 

As we left the room, the boy said “That was fun, Mom!”   No cues, no commands.  I just let Cody do his thing. 

DOGS LUV US AND WE LUV THEM:  Another story Christine shared with me was when she and her therapy dog Polly were at the library for the children’s reading program.  Our other good friend Paulette and her Keeshond therapy dog Teebo were on the other side of a partition put up to give the kids and dogs privacy as they read. 

CHRISTINE:  Polly was reading with a child when a mother, whose daughter was reading to Teebo on the other side of the partition, came over.  She recognized Polly and asked me if I’d ever been at the children’s hospital.  I said yes,  Polly and I had visited the children’s hospital.   Her daughter came running over and hugged Polly.  “Look Mom, she remembers me!”  She then said that Polly “Is so sweet and made me feel better [when she was in the hospital]”.  The mom thanked me for bringing Polly and being there for the kids.  

Beautiful therapy dog Teebo who helps kids improve their reading and also visits people struggling with substance abuse.

This is how Therapy Dogs impact people!   I’m always impressed by the courage and honesty the kids in the oncology unit have.  They are always so upbeat. 

Sometimes a sibling of a child in the hospital is kind of ignored.  All the focus is on the sick child.  I think the siblings need attention too, so I give them a book to read, some fun stickers or a bookmark so they get some attention too. 

DOGS LUV US AND WE LUV THEM:  Christine, what advice would you give to new therapy dog handlers, or others who are interested in becoming therapy dog handlers?

CHRISTINE:   I would tell them to know how to read their dog, know whether or not their dog is right for it [being a therapy dog].  Also, know if a particular therapy dog assignment is right for your dog or not.

I want to thank Christine for talking with me about her amazing therapy dogs and all the work they do to help people in their community, especially children!  She and her dogs are pretty darn special, aren’t they?!

READ MORE ABOUT HOW OUR FRIEND PAULETTE AND HER THERAPY DOG TEEBO HELP PEOPLE STRUGGLING WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE.

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I hope you enjoyed this interview.  Please share your thoughts about it in the comments.  We always love hearing from you!!

MY DOG THE THERAPIST - A Therapy Dog's Tale

Have you ever wondered if your dog would make a good Therapy Dog?  Right from the start Icy had that rare gentle, sweet disposition that made her ideally suited for the Therapy Dog role she would have 2 years later.  The key attributes of a successful therapy dog are a gentle temperament, being well socialized, and solid basic obedience skills.  She inherently possessed the first quality, it was up to me to help her develop the socialization and obedience skills she would need as a Therapy Dog. 

Icy in front of the Christmas Tree at a local Nursing Home where she visits residents weekly.  I don't show photos of the residents to respect their privacy

A Therapy Dog is not a Service Dog.  Their job is mainly to offer comfort, emotional support, and smiles!  Icy just knows how to make people smile, even people who aren’t “dog people” are drawn to her.  I knew early on that becoming a therapy dog was somehow her calling, and I wanted to help her achieve that.  Dogs must be at least a year old to become a therapy dog, so when she was 18 months old Icy and I enrolled in a class to prepare us for the challenging requirements of the Pet Partners Therapy Dog evaluation.  My friend Paulette also enrolled in the class with her beautiful Keeshond, Tebow. 

Icy at a mall during her training, curiously checking out a Carousel

One day we took the dogs to an outdoor mall to practice our skills.  No sooner had we arrived at the mall when people started approaching us, asking to pet the dogs.  “Of course!” we’d say.  The dogs solicited smiles, laughter, and lots of pet parent stories in the people who stopped to visit with them.

A sad looking woman approached Icy and quietly asked to pet her.  As she stroked Icy, she began to talk about her German Shepherd, who had recently died.  As she talked, it was apparent that the loss of her dog was traumatic and she was having a terrible time dealing with it.  After petting Icy for awhile, she suddenly grabbed her and hugged her closely.  Tears rolled down the woman’s face as she spoke about how much her dog had meant to her and how terribly she missed him.  She was letting her tears and emotions out, allowing herself to be comforted by Icy.  It was truly an amazing thing to witness.  

 

She left after about 20 minutes, smiling and thanking us for letting her pet our dogs.  Paulette and I looked at each other, shocked at the sudden change in this woman’s mood from sad to bright and cheerful.  “I think we just did Therapy Dog work” I said "and we're still in training!"  It was such a great feeling knowing that interacting with our therapy-dogs-in-training helped lift this woman’s sadness, even if only for awhile.

After that, Icy laid down, emotionally drained by the experience.  Paulette and I decided it was time to take our “Therapists” home. 



Icy walking through a crowded Apple computer store during her training



Any breed or type of dog can become a therapy dog, it's really about their individual temperament and personality.  If you're interesting in learning more about becoming an animal therapy team visit the Pet Partners web site.  Therapy Dogs International (TDI) is another organization through which your pet can become a therapy animal. There are several other therapy dog organizations.

Icy at a Stress Busters event at a local college where students took a break from finals to visit Therapy Dogs and unwind.  I obtained permission from the students to post event photos.

Please visit my blog post on the children’s reading programs Icy participates in and how Therapy Dogs can help children improve their reading skills!

Did you know some Puppies are Being Raised in Prison for a life of service?

Is your dog a therapy dog?  If so, please share how your dog helps people in need, by leaving a comment.  I’d love to connect with other therapy dog handlers, and organizations who utilize therapy dogs as well so please share your blog URL in a comment and let’s connect!