| HERO AT THE RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE |
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(Update from Heddie Leger - April 2011)
I wanted to give some follow up that might inspire some of our members. You never know how your visits will impact a life.
While visiting Ronald McDonald House this year we became friends with Chelsea the girl in the video. This is her story.
I received a message from her, her mom and the trainer they are working with in their home town of Albequerque, New Mexico. Our visits had inspired her to begin to work with her dog to become her personal service dog. I helped her connect with a wonderful trainer in her home town and is on her way to training her own dog to be her personal service dog. You never know when you visit what a lasting impression you are going to make on a person.
Here is Chelsea's inspirational story.
Fox 4 TV highlighted "Hero's" work at the Ronald McDonald House. Heddie Leger was interviewed as well.
Great job!
http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-hero-brings-smile-to-kids-who-123110,0,4524434.story
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| VOLUNTEERS OF THE MONTH - KC HOSPICE |
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Sue Manning and Lily
Sue Manning says few patients she visits remember her name or recognize her face. No, it’s her furry sidekick, Lily, who makes the impressions.
“Lily and I were waiting for a hospital volunteer at Shawnee Mission Medical Center the other day,” Manning says. “A woman came up to me and says, ‘Is that Lily?’”
Lily (and Manning) had visited the woman’s mother, a hospital patient, a week before. The patient had called her daughter as soon as Lily left to tell her how much she enjoyed the golden retriever’s visit. A picture of Lily now sits next to a picture of the patient’s granddaughter on the bedside table. They were the first images the woman wanted to see when she woke up from surgery.
Lily, who is five years old, has developed quite a cadre of friends through her therapy work. Manning and Lily started volunteering with Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care about two years ago. Manning had contacted the organization as an extension of her work with MO-KAN Pet Partners, a nonprofit organization and affiliate of Delta Society, which provides resources for teams working in animal-assisted activities and therapies.
Recently, more than 20 MO-KAN teams of dogs and handlers participated in KCH&PC’s Camp Erin. The dogs interacted with the children and teens attending the grief-support camp.
“All I did was send out a notice to my membership,” Manning says. “Everybody wanted to work at the camp. It was really rewarding. I hope our participation will be ongoing.”
Camps, hospitals, nursing homes, and patients’ homes have all been the settings for pet therapy visits. Manning says the visits are often short. Patients pet Lily and chat with Manning. Well, sometimes.
“One patient we visited was a man from Alaska who had always had dogs,” Manning says. “When we would go see him, he was always reading. He would stop reading, pet Lily for about five minutes, and then start reading again. He never said a word to me.”
Manning doesn’t mind letting Lily have the spotlight. She enjoys being in the background, facilitating Lily’s work. Sometimes Lily sits next to patients on chairs. Other times, she is invited to jump up on patients’ beds.
“Lily does all the work,” Manning says. “I just drive her around.”
When not driving Lily around, Manning, a native Texan, enjoys spending time with her husband, Clarence, and her 12 grandchildren. Just the other night, eight of them spent the night at her house.
“It was really not as crazy as it sounds,” Manning says.
Clarence often helps Manning with the team training MO-KAN provides. Both handlers and their pets go through extensive training to learn how best to provide services to patients. MO-KAN offers two, 12-hour training sessions as well as team evaluations every two years. The training covers all aspects of how to be a therapy team and role-playing opportunities. The organization currently has 64 members. All of the pets are dogs except for one cat. Manning says all animals are allowed.
Manning encourages anyone who is interested in expanding their hospice work through pet therapy to contact the organization at http://mo-kanpetpartners.org/aboutus.html.
This article contributed by Amber Stenger, KCH&PC Volunteer
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| TLC FOR FAMILIES AND CHILDREN INC NEWSLETTER AUG 6, 2010 |
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Changing Lives...
Delta Society helps TLC kids have a "Dog-Gone" good time!
TLC has been serving victims of child abuse and neglect for over 37 years and is a provider of psychiatric residential treatment to youth (PRTF) ages 6-18. Child abuse is widely recognized as a serious problem and because of this so many young children in Kansas are suffering from mental health disorders ranging from bipolar disorder and depressive psychosis to developmental disorders and emotional disturbance just to name a few.
While at TLC, these youth are exposed to many beneficial therapeutic treatments that include fun and exciting activities to aid in their healing and recovery process. Recently, TLC formed a partnership with an incredible local group, the MoKan Pet Partners/Delta Society.
Volunteers bring in their dogs on a weekly basis to spend time with the youth at TLC. The experience is not only fun, but also therapeutic in nature. The children will at times whisper into the dogs ears when they are having a rough day, but want a "non-judgmental" response. The dogs have been used to assist the kids in teaching safety and how to cross the street and remain close to their leader.
There are endless benefits that pet therapy provides for the youth at TLC and we could not be more thankful to this wonderful group for volunteering their time each week to visit us!
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| Barb Terry, Cathy Leschena, Merrily Shultz and Kathy Waller |
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Columbia cat qualifies for delta society pet partners, 200th cat team member in country, sole cat team member in Missouri - Kansas region
Buffy, a 5 year-old neutered male dilute orange tabby, has qualified as a Delta Society Pet Partner. Buffy is now the 200th cat team member in the Delta Society Pet Partners program where dog team members number over 10,000. Buffy is owned by Sarah Grim, Columbia, MO, who adopted Buffy from Columbia 2nd Chance in 2004. Buffy is Grim's second cat Pet Partner team member. In 2005, Casper the Cat, another Columbia 2nd Chance rescue, became the country's 187th cat Pet Partner. Casper served as Grim's Pet Partner until his retirement in 2008. He died at age 19 in January 2009.
Buffy and Grim are the sole cat-human Pet Partner team in Missouri and Kansas. In keeping with the Delta Society Pet Partners mission, the team will visit area nursing homes and make public appearances on behalf of Delta Society Pet Partners.
According to Grim, "Buffy is the perfect Pet Partner in that he likes to ride in cars to events, is comfortable with new people and in new surroundings, loves being the center of attention, and acts appropriately at all times."
Buffy began his Pet Partner's training in 2006 - 2007 by visiting Candlelight Lodge, spending time with Grim's mother Gladys, a Lodge resident. He is a frequent participant in the College of Veterinary Medicine Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction's PAWSitive Visits program at the Bluffs and Tiger Place.
Grim is working with another of her cats, Bordeaux, to become a Pet Partner. Bordeaux was scheduled to be evaluated in July 2009 but had to withdraw due to a medical issue. Buffy was substituted for Bordeaux's slot on short notice and passed with flying colors.
Grim believes more cats should be considered as Pet Partners. "Many people are dog people and are comfortable having dogs visit them in the nursing home or hospital. At the same time, there are a lot of cat people who would prefer to have a cat sit on their lap and get petted. My goal is to make sure those who miss their cat friends have the option of having Buffy visit them." Grim hopes more cat owners will become interested in having their cats evaluated for Pet Partners and work with her to get their felines qualified.
Delta Society's Pet Partners program trains volunteers and screens volunteers and their pets for visiting animal programs in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, schools and other facilities. The Pet Partners program was established in 1990 to ensure that "both ends of the leash," people as well as animals, were well-prepared to participate in animal-assisted activity and animal-assisted therapy programs. Pet Partners is the only national registry that requires volunteer training and screening of animal-handler teams. Delta Society's national network links volunteers with facilities in their own communities that request visiting pets and helps Pet Partners contact facilities to begin visits in new locations.
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SHERRI RUSCH AND CALI
Click on vido link below
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| Pembroke Welsh Corgi Newsletter |
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Little Legs, Mighty Hearts: Pembrokes as Therapy Dogs (Excerpt from Pembroke Welsh Corgi Newsletter - Summer 2008)
"After the team is certified and the assignments made, just what do these four-legged therapists do? Those unfamiliar with animal-assisted therapy think that dogs that do therapy are somewhat like circus dogs, doing tricks, entertaining. Some dogs do incorporate tricks in their visits. Leslie Reed's 'Phoebe' has learned to 'salute' the veterans she visits at an army medical center, Joyce Maas' Bentley is known for his singing ability and will join in with his rendition of 'Old MacDonald'."
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Therapy Dalmatians
By Tana Rugg
The year 2007 found many Dalmatians and their owners participating in therapy work in their respective communities. In fact, Dals and their people gave well over 1000 hours of joy to the people they visited and with whom they worked. I am sure this is only the tip of the iceberg as most likely there are many more Dalmatians and owners participating in therapy work. It was very interesting to read about the dogs and the work they are doing. The Dalmatians ranged in age from puppies in training to a grand veteran of 13 years. Many of the Dalmatians were champions. Most also had titles in obedience, rally, agility, tracking, or freestyle; many had also earned the Canine Good Citizen certificate, and several had passed the ATTS (American Temperament Test Society, Inc.) Temperament Test. Some were res cues while others came from very well known kennels. There was a Best in Specialty winner as well as a Champion Tracker. Another was Best Veteran Bitch one year at our national specialty. Several had been DCA Top Spots. Another had been named a Therapy Dog International Active Outstanding Volunteer. They live in all parts of the United States. We are well represented everywhere. All were reported to be dogs that loved doing the therapy work, and were greatly appreciated and loved by those they visited. They certainly prove the versatility of our breed.
The Dals and their owners who are volunteering in their communities are doing a great deal of good for our breed. Having these wonderful dogs performing such a valuable service, and showing what great temperament our breed has is good for our public relations. As one person put it: Dals are super therapy dogs! Many thanks to all who are showcasing Dalmatians in such a positive light.
(Paraphrased in part from the Spring 2008 Dalmatian Club of America Quarterly Magazine – July 23, 2008)
“Carmen is the Best Veteran Bitch at National mentioned above. Also, Carmen and Jonah are both champions, Canine Good Citizens and Delta certified. Jonah has also passed his Temperament Test. Owner, Carol Wells.”
“KyAn has been a therapy dog for seven years during which time she has visited nursing and hospice facilities. She is R.E.A.D (Reading Education Assistance Dog). KyAn works with reading disabled children in the public schools in Kansas City, KS. She earned her Canine Good Citizen, Novice B Obedience Title, and Rally Advanced. James Brown is 4 years old. He is R.E.A.D., Canine Good Citizen, Rally Novice, and two legs on his Obedience Title and Champion Title for the breed. Both dogs are Delta certified. I am very proud of my 2 Dals and their service to mankind. Owner, Shirley May. “
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| Carol Wells, Carmen & Jonah |
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| Shirley May, KyAn & John Brown |
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A coat to cry on
Therapy dogs learn to assist in times of crisis, disaster
Visitors to Kansas City International Airport a few weeks ago saw a group of mild-mannered dogs riding the escalator, getting frisked by security and boarding an airplane.
Those same dogs and their owners also visited Olathe (Kan.) Fire Station No. 6 while sirens blared, air brakes shrieked and lights flashed.
For more of this story, click on or type the URL below:
http://www.kccommunitynews.com/articles/2007/11/15/liberty_tribune/news/g.lt.news.hero.training.txt
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A helping paw
Sprawled out in the warm afternoon sunshine beaming in through the glass storm door, Nicky looks just as average as any other family pet. At the sight of a ball or stick or car driving by, he comes alive with an energetic spark and proceeds to bound about in leaps and circles to announce his excitement as most Shetland sheepdogs do. But Nicky is anything but ordinary. He has a résumé that would turn most other dogs and even some humans green with envy.
"I got him when he was 6 weeks old," said his owner and trainer, Marie Kersten. "I had no intention on doing anything with him, he was just going to be my companion."
For more of this story, click on or type the URL below:
http://www.kccommunitynews.com/articles/2008/01/17/kearney_courier/schools/doc478e17255cf13943220085.txt
Marie Kersten and Nicky are members of Mo-Kan Pet Partners. The following was published in the Kearney Courier on January 17, 2008.
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Children read tales to those who wag them
READ program gives children non-judgmental reading companions
Brother and sister Matthew and Allyson Stebbins sat down to read at Southview Elementary School last week. They opened their book to read aloud, not to their teacher or other students, but to Nicky, a Shetland sheepdog.
He seemed to be listening to their words and often looked at the pictures, which delighted the young readers.
For more of this story, click on or type the URL below:
http://www.kccommunitynews.com/articles/2008/01/17/kearney_courier/schools/doc478e166f4921d074547065.txt
Marie Kersten and Nicky are members of Mo-Kan Pet Partners. The following was published in the Kearney Courier on January 17, 2008
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