The last two visits went better than the first one. I was more relaxed (though still nervous). The highlight on Tuesday for me - a woman in street clothes crossed the hall to pet Toby, then looked me in the eye and said, "That just made my whole day!" Wow, can it get any better than that?
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| This is what we bring on a therapy dog visit: hand sanitizer, wipes, TDI paperwork, and Toby's ID and bandana. |
For visit #2 we were partnered with the cutest Bichon Frise! He was adorable and I saw how great having a small dog is for pet therapy. His handler could just place him in the bed next to a patient and he snuggled right in like he could stay there all day! Toby and Bouncer were friends instantly too, and took "sniff breaks" periodically to get acquainted. Toby still pulls a lot at the hospital and I'm weighing whether to just work harder on his loose leash walking, or buy a front clip harness just for the hospital. The trouble is that at home it's much easier to stop the pulling. I've registered for an Advanced Obedience class with Mr. Dean to see if that will help get the pulling under control, but there may not be enough students enrolled to have the class. Two other factors made this a more successful visit - we had been in all of the visited areas before, and the visit was exactly one hour long. It was still about 5 minutes longer than Toby wanted to stay, but definitely one hour is his limit right now.
You wouldn't think that a dog could get tired from being petted and praised. One of the handlers on visit #3 said her dog absolutely can't do more than an hour, and she reminded me that between the unfamiliar smells, constant interaction with strangers of all ages, genders, and health conditions (including cancer), and even walking on the slippery floors, pet therapy is exhausting for the pets. Toby also gets very thirsty. On Tuesday's visit one of the volunteers thoughtfully filled a portable dish with water from the drinking fountains for the dogs. The volunteer office also has a large dog dish attached to a big water bottle sitting on the floor for the therapy dogs.
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| A well-deserved rest! |
On visit #3, we accompanied two other therapy dogs. Heidi is Lobo's big sister. Lobo is the Keeshond we partnered for our first visit. Heidi is an older girl and definitely the queen of the dogs at the hospital. She made sure she got first dibs on all the doorways, elevator, and whatever loving was at hand! She was a big fluff ball and ridiculously cute, so she didn't have to work too hard to get lots of attention! Ben, a handsome old cocker spaniel, also walked with us. Ben was charismatic, with the persona of a Southern gentleman of the old school. You could almost see him in a little black string tie a la Col. Sanders. It was fun just to watch the two therapy veterans do their stuff. In time I hope Toby will become more patient and willing to stay with one person for several minutes. That said, for such a young and inexperienced dog I think he's doing pretty well.
What have I (equally inexperienced, but alas, not so young) learned from these three partnered visits?
- I'm getting better at reading the body language that says "no thanks!"
- Often the dog is just the introduction. People often need a chance to talk, and petting the dog is a safe way to start a conversation. Lots of tact and active listening is required.
- Do what's comfortable. I don't happen to like visiting the patient floors without a specific request, so we probably won't do as much of that. And - one hour is max, maybe even 45 minutes at first.
- Hospital staff need the visits as much if not more than patients and family members! Stress relief?
10 comments :
What a wonderful experience you are having. Can't wait to hear more of your adventures.
Haha - looks like Toby just fell asleep mid-climb on those stairs! What a great shot!
Wow - therapy does sound like a lot of work but well worth it to brighten the day of the staff as well as the patients. I wonder how Blueberry will do if we ever get certified. Her training starts up again next month. She has a pretty short attention span - especially in class. She gets really bored with the routine and will slow down to a snail's pace.
Congratulations on getting to go out on your own next time! Can't wait to hear about that!
I would have never thought that about the staff but you are so right! They have such hard jobs and they see heartbreaking things every day. What better than a furry pal to bring a little happy into their day? I'm sure they love it when Toby comes in!
This is so cool! What you're doing is wonderful and amazing. As a medical professional myself, I definitely agree that staff need the therapy dogs as much or more than the patients. There are days at work I desperately wish for one. Animals approach people with no prejudices and (usually) no attitude...something we humans could work on. ;)
Thank you for encouraging me!
You know, I find that classes are usually kind of boring- for the dog. I mean, we stand around and listen to the trainer, then there may be questions, then the dogs get a bit of a chance to practice. Depending on the size of the class, if the dogs and owners take turns doing the skill it can be a lot of waiting around for the dogs. We, on the other hand, are usually trying to learn the skill, do it correctly with the dog, monitor tone of voice, take in suggestions for improvement, etc. I'm wiped out after those classes!
Good luck to Blueberry on certification! Keep me posted!
Well said Lauren, "a little happy into their day". I like that.
Thank you for the affirmation. Yes I can imagine how stressful it must be; you are sometimes seeing people at their worst when they are sick, hurt, anxious, scared. If your workplace doesn't have a therapy dog program, maybe there is a local group that could visit.
Hi Guys,
You're both doing awesome!! My Mum said after our first couple of training visits she felt more relaxed and things started to get easier for her - I agree about giving lots of attention to the staff, I love finding them and letting them pet me, even just to see their smiley faces as I walk by - they do such amazing work!!
Keep up the wonderful work, it's great to read how you're getting on :) I've been taking a break from visits for a few weeks as my human cousins have been visiting from the UK and because of insurance they're not allowed to come with us, I'm looking forward to going back to see all my pals next week :)
Wags to all,
Your pal Snoopy :)
Sounds like you are doing wonderful, learning how to read Toby, and learning what the people you are visiting need. Keep up the good work!
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