Today I went to observe one of our Bright Spot volunteers and her Standard Poodle working in a classroom of children with autism. I did this because I’m looking for the right situation for my new dog Lily to visit once she becomes certified as a Therapy Dog. I feel it’s very important to match the dog with the right population and type of facility. Lily has an outgoing, interactive personality and I think she would work well with children. I’m seeking to determine the correct environment.
I enjoyed observing the children interact with Tristan, the Poodle. There are 8 children in this special needs classroom and each child has an individual aide. When we arrived, the children were out for recess and they were brought in separately to spend one-on-one time with the dog. Some children offered the dog a treat. Some petted his head and ears. Some had him shake paws. Some stood at a distance and just looked at the dog. One child did not want to be near the dog at all. The volunteer Therapy Dog Team has visited 12 times now and the teacher told me that the children had made great strides in interacting with the dog. Both the teacher and the individual aides remarked that the dog is great for the kids.
When we left the school and were standing in the parking lot talking, the father of one of the boys in the class came over and told us how much he appreciated the dog being brought in to visit with the children. “We’d love to have a dog at home, but our son is so fearful of dogs, we can’t. His teacher reports that he has made quite a bit of progress interacting with the dog. This makes us feel hopeful that one day we will be able to enjoy a dog of our own and that our son will help take care of the dog.” Again, he thanked us.
This might be a good population for Lily, but I plan to continue checking out other facilities and populations that have requested therapy dog visitors from Bright Spot. I highly recommend this approach to anyone starting out with a new therapy dog. In addition, I’d like to try a new population, myself. I’ve been visiting the elderly in nursing homes since 1992, have visited adult patients on the medical floors of hospitals, adults at mental health facilities, and folks on hospice. Time to try something new – in addition (I’d never give up hospice or nursing home visits!).
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