therapy dogs

The Animal Anthology Project Published! Includes the Story of Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Dog’s Therapy Work

Posted by Barbara Techel

From The Animal Anthology Project Blog:

Featuring stories from the nation’s most reknowned authors of animal tales, The Animal Anthology Project has been published. Contributors include notable Lois Duncan (Hotel for Dogs), Bob Tarte (Kitty Cornered), Sy Montgomery (The Good Good Pig), Irene Pepperberg (Alex & Me), Carl Safina (Song for the Blue Ocean), J.A. Jance (NY Times bestselling author of the Ali Reynolds series), Dr. Marty Goldstein (Starring in Oprah as America’s premier holistic veterinarian), and Hugh Warwick (A Prickly Affair: My Life with Hedgehogs).

To buy the book either head to your local bookstore or go on amazon.com. To help The Animal Anthology Project and the Best Friends Animal Society buy a book today! Out of more than 1,000 submission we have selected our favorite 50 to appear in print.

I’m very honored and proud to be among all these wonderful authors whose story was accepted and now published in this book done my 16-year old Christine Catlin.

A Dog Named Boo: How One Dog and One Woman Rescued Each Other — and the Lives They Transformed Along the Way

Posted by Barbara Techel

I am honored to have been asked to review a copy of Professional Dog Trainer, Lisa J. Edwards new book, A Dog Named a Boo, and to be asked to be a part of her blog tour. There are so many things similar in our stories that I just couldn’t resist. I’m so glad for the opportunity because reading Lisa’s book brought me laughter, understanding, and yet a deeper compassion for what animals can do for our lives.  While Lisa thought for sure she was rescuing Boo, as it usually turns out, Boo was the right dog for her at the right  time in her life. It’s a love story on so many levels.

I had the opportunity to interview Lisa by phone as part of her blog tour. I share her interview with you now.

Did you always want to be a certified, full-time dog trainer?  What sparked your interest?

Lisa:  I actually wanted to be a writer, but I gave up that idea.  Dog training was not really on my radar, but my dog Dante who was a therapy dog prompted me to give dog training a try.  My heart wanted to be with dogs so I decided to give professional dog training a try and become a trainer.

What makes a good therapy dog—can every dog be one?

Lisa:  I put this on a scale system.  Some are born to do it, while others need massaging to be a good therapy dog.  Aptitude for work is important and the dog has to want to do this work- it is not something that can be forced.  You have to think about such things as, does your dog enjoy being pet and being pet alot.  They also require skills such as sit, stay, down, etc.  Boo had a harder time with some of the skills.

On a side note:  Without giving away the story in the book, you will come to find out that Boo may not have been able to do all the required skills, but with a bit of tweaking and adjusting, what he lacked, he made up in other big ways.

Do therapy dogs need special training and why?

Lisa:  Yes, they need special training.  Some will work out and some won’t.  I compare it to the helmet analogy- training dogs under owner’s verbal control is important so they are able to control their dog in many different situations.  It’s for the safety of everyone.  Training the handler is also important so they know what their dog can and can’t do.  Also important to be able to read the dogs body stress signals, so to know when they’ve had enough when out visiting as a therapy dog.  You want to know simple solutions of how to get your dog out of a stressful situation.  Also, dogs are not designed to work five days a week, so it’s important that as a person who wants to have your dog as a therapy dog that you recognize this.

What’s the feeling your experience while watching Boo help others?

Lisa:  It’s a bouquet of feelings.  Boo tries hard to do all the right things. He enjoys others so much.  Now that he is almost blind I have a whole new joy, contentment and pride in watching him do his work.

I like that, a “bouquet of feelings.” I can understand that having done therapy dog with my dog, Frankie.  How do you train dogs to handle different situations such as nursing homes, hospice, etc.?

Lisa:  We teach dogs “go everywhere” skills.  They are taught to walk against the wall, wait at doors and wait to the side of elevators, just to name a few.  While I am not a hospice professional, what is important in hospice work is that the trainer is given the tools to be aware of their dogs signals.  Dealing with end of life situations can be very stressful on a dog.  It’s important to understand when they’ve had enough.  It’s also important to do a post visit exhuberant activity with your pet since they will be dealing with death.

Boo has helped so many people as a therapy dog. Did you ever imagine Boo would have such an impact on your life?

Lisa:  No.  In hindsight and looking back and the progression Boo has made has made him in a sense a miracle worker- he moves people to places they never thought they would or could go. One lesson he has taught me is acceptance—that we all get where we are going at our own pace.  And we get there when it is right for us.  I had big plans for Boo and we were struggling to meet those goals I had planned. My vet helped me see what Boo could do and what he couldn’t. I then focused on what he could do and worked from there.

This is a question I have which intrigues me.  In your book you talk about how some dogs don’t forgive.  Can you elaborate on that?

Lisa:  At a shelter where I do consulting there are two dogs there I point to in regards of this situation.  A Cocker and AussieX were both hung for corrections. The cocker was stomped at, growled at, and generally tormented. He trusts no one and will bit at the slightest “provocation.” The AussieX in addition to being hung, was the first (and I hope only) dog in all the years I have been teaching dog training classes, where I had to stop the class and ask his handlers to stop hitting him. He has a long and varied bite record and while there are a couple of us now- it used to be just me- that he trusts, he does not yet trust completely and this has been two years.  They will likely spend the rest of their lives in the shelter because of their early mistreatment and their inability to trust.

What advice do you have for others in forming the best possible relationship with their pet?

Lisa:  Patience. No matter what the issue or challenge, patience is so important.  Also don’t push your pet to places he/she may not be able to go or do.  When you have patience this will lead you to where your pet is most comfortable.  When frustrated or angry, take a moment to really think about what your pet is trying to tell you.

Thank you again, Lisa for allowing me the honor to review your book, A Dog Named Boo and to interview you for your blog tour.  I hope all my readers will run right out and buy your book.  And I also hope it encourages others to consider do therapy dog work with their dogs.

Lisa J. Edwards is a full-time professional dog trainer and behavioral consultant. She has been a registered Delta Society Pet Partner with three of her dogs and has made more than 400 visits with her pets to hospitals, schools, nursing homes and residential care facilities. In 2008 Boo was honored as one of five finalists for the Delta Society’s national Beyond Limits Award for his therapy work with Lisa. Visit Lisa and her family of dogs at Three Dogs Training.

My Final Visit to Libby’s House Without My Wheelie Dog Side Kick

Posted by Barbara Techel

Yesterday I made my final visit to Libby’s House, where Frankie and I were a volunteer therapy dog team for 3 ½ years.  The original plan was that it was to be my last visit with Frankie since she was retiring. But as we know, life does not always go as planned.  So off I went alone.

Let me first back up and say that the Wednesday before this, I met with the owner of Libby’s House, Christine. She couldn’t be there for the day of my last visit but had a gift for me.  She gave me the plaque above which is with one my favorite residents- Libby herself, who Libby’s House is named after and happens to be Christine’s grandmother.  This photo was taken two years ago when Libby was a mere 103.  Libby’s House also made a very generous donation to Frankie’s Wheelchair Memorial Fund.   I was, and am quite honored.

I had butterflies in my stomach as I drove to Libby’s House. I knew it would be hard to say goodbye.  Are goodbyes ever easy?  But I knew I needed to do this for the residents. They needed closure, too.  I’ve loved all my therapy dog work with Frankie, but I have to say, Libby’s House became one of my favorite.  So many became my surrogate grandparents and I grew to care and love many of them.

Being a volunteer at Libby’s House was sometimes a guessing game as to who has dementia and who has  Alzheimer’s.  And some are there for other reasons, but because of the HPPA act I was not allowed to know.  While that made me uneasy at the beginning, especially of how I should react around Alzheimer’s patients, what I took away from this experience is that they are all still human beings with hearts and souls… that they still wish to be heard and loved. And they deserve to be treated with dignity and grace.

The staff was so kind to me and many hugs were exchanged. It felt very odd being there without Frankie, but it also felt comforting.  This was a place that I enjoyed coming to each month, though it could be sad at times witnessing the decline of some of the residents or when they passed away. But it was also always my reminder that life is about living and we must enjoy each and every possible moment while here.

For the residents who could understand that Frankie is no longer here, I gave them a photo collage of Frankie.  One resident who Frankie and I always went to her room to visit, a witty, charming, wonderful 96-year old red head lady, told me that she will say hi to Frankie when she gets home.  I always told her she and Frankie were my favorite red heads and it brought a smile to my face thinking of those two meeting again someday.

Another resident who I refer to as Janice in my children’s book, Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Therapy Dog Visits Libby’s House, is one resident I will miss greatly.  She was quite gruff the first time I met her, telling me she DID NOT LIKE DOGS.  I was up for the challenge and somehow knew it was just her exterior that was tough.  She became one of my favorite residents, too and also within six months grew to love Frankie, as well.  She is quite the spitfire, and her and I so enjoyed razzing each other.

Janice was the drive behind making sure as many people as possible at Libby’s House signed a copy of my book I wrote about Libby’s House. They all wrote wonderful notes of how they loved when Frankie visited and how they will miss her.  What a treasure that book is now to me with all their notes and signatures!

I also sat with Libby who is now 105 and going as strong as ever.  She held my hand and said,” l’ll bet you really miss Frankie.” She continued to pat my hand as we chatted and I couldn’t help but think of how I felt like a young girl once again being comforted by my grandma when I hurt… and how good that felt.  One of my best memories with Libby is when she was petting Frankie and she looked up at me and said, “Frankie is love.”

Once again as I set off to visit Libby’s House,  I went with the idea that I would be helping  them and to bring them closure… and realizing as I walked out the door for the last time, that they all brought me comfort and closure, too.  And even though my dog on wheels was not rolling beside me for this visit, I felt her memories of hope, joy, and love alive and well within the hearts of all our friends at Libby’s House.