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By Nicole Kolenda |
Dogs (and most animals for that matter) just don't put the same demands on children the way people do. They don't demand answers. They don't expect perfect turn-taking skills and topic maintenance. They don't get mad if you don't respond to them; dogs love  unconditionally, always. The bottom line is that dogs make people happy (most of the time) and while dog lovers have reveled in this for ages, the allied health field is just beginning to recognize the potential of animal or pet therapy to help people not only feel good, but also achieve therapeutic goals.
The Delta Society identifies two types of therapy animal experiences: Animal-assisted activities (AAA) and animal assisted therapy (AAT). AAT is more structured, goal driven and requires documentation. Dogs, cats and other specially trained animals are brought (by their handlers) into various health care settings—including schools, hospitals, and nursing homes, to promote improvement in human physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning [thinking and intellectual skills.]
Growing up, my family always had dogs and I knew, one day, I would have my own. When the time was right, I found Sadie on-line through a breeder in Vancouver , Canada . She is a miniature Chinese Shar-Pei [she weighs around 35lbs.] She was shipped over when she was 3 months old via Air Canada . I can still remember the day Chris met Sadie. I had been talking about Sadie for about a month before I actually got her and I wasn't sure if he  [Chris] really understood me. Chris is a client I have been treating (I am a speech pathologist) for the past seven years. He is diagnosed with global delays and at the time, he was only four years old with a limited expressive vocabulary (making it more difficult to fully assess his receptive understanding.) When Chris saw Sadie it was love at first site! He wanted to hold her, pet her, feed her and play with her. He began to express his requests verbally, both upon imitation and spontaneously, and we (his parents and I) were extremely impressed.
Over the years, Chris and Sadie have developed a wonderful friendship. I bring her over often and they frequently have sleep-overs. Sadie has even traveled to Connecticut to vacation with him. As a speech pathologist, I learned a lot about Chris through the way he interacted with Sadie. He was confident with her (he usually shied away from social situations). He initiated interactions with her (something I was trying to teach him in therapy) and he generated sentences that were longer and more sophisticated than usual “Sadie, come over here! “Sadie, let's play in the blanket!” He was motivated by her and it was wonderful to watch. It is also worth noting that Sadie's feelings were not masked in ambiguity—i.e. a wagging tail=happy, ears down/tail between the legs=sad, and once this was explained to Chris he became excited when he saw Sadie's tail wag because he knew (without a doubt) that she was happy too!
What struck me the most about Sadie's interactions with Christopher was her tolerance. Chris would pull her tail, throw blankets over her and literally “smother” her with attention; Sadie never once protested. (She rarely barks—the breed is known for that.) She never even got angry. It was incredible. He would squeeze her (his hugs tend to be very tight) and lock her in rooms with him (he wanted her all to himself) and she was always calm. I began to realize that Sadie was a very special dog and I wanted to give other children with special needs the experience that Christopher was having with her.
I decided to get Sadie Delta trained through the Pet Partners program. We did it through the ASPCA on Manhattan 's Upper East Side . I took two classes with her (one to refresh some of her previously learned doggie skills—i.e., sit, stay, down, etc.) and the second to prepare her for her exam and ultimately her role as a pet therapist. As her “handler” I too had to prepare for the exam and take a written exam as well. This is a very serious process and should be treated that way. I was so nervous the day of our test. It was segmented into two parts: a skills test and a temperament test. The first part of the evaluative process was to assess her handle on doggy basics (heal, down, etc.) and the second part was to assess her temperament—which is very, very important. Sadie was put in “stressful” situations and marked on her responses. Sadie, unlike her mom, is calm and collected under pressure. Approximately six months after the start of our first class, Sadie became registered as a Pet Partner! I was so proud (and still am!)
I immediately set up a relationship with Christopher's school ( The Rebecca School ) and Sadie and I began volunteering in his classroom. Over the course of a couple of visits, Sadie worked her magic and somehow encouraged Christopher's peers to interact with her. She even got one student (who was very scared of dogs) to pet her! Two of the parents in Christopher's class were delighted their children were playing with Sadie as they were under the impression their children were also afraid of dogs. (Sometimes children have a bad memory or a fearful experience with an animal which can be replaced with good experiences with a little patience and guidance.)
I believe in my heart that Sadie and I found each other for a reason. She has taught me so much—not only about the children we see together, but about myself. I know my interactions with her and my observations of her have helped me to become a better speech language pathologist and for that I am grateful. I really look forward to incorporating her into some of my private speech sessions to help my clients achieve their goals with a new direction and inspiration. Thank you Delta Society for your amazing work with animals!
Please contact Nicole@therapyscoop.com for questions or further inquiries.
If you are a therapist and interested in more information, Delta Society also offers a hands-on course called AAT Applications for healthcare professionals that cover such areas as client assessment, AAT techniques, documentation, and evaluation. Information about this course and other trainings are available on Delta Society's web site,DeltaSociety.Org.
See the Delta Society featured in the therapy dog piece on the Today Show. [ Play Video ]
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