About Us
Canine Assisted Therapy is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization and relies solely on donations from the community for support. Your donation will help us to provide support, training, education and mentoring to those interested in dog therapy programs. Please help us to continue our service to those in need by donating generously today. Thank you! Donate to C.A.T. |
Upcoming Events
Doggie-Palooza
A Dog Expo!
THIS WEEKEND!
Saturday, January 30th
Find Out More!
C.A.T. Dog
Evaluations
Saturday, February 6th
At Chateau Poochie
Find Out More!
C.A.T. Continuing Education Seminar
Thursday, February 18th
SPACE IS LIMITED!
Find Out More!
Pet First-Aid
and CPR
Thursday, February 25th
SIGN UP TODAY!
Find Out More!
C.A.T. Teen Corps
Training Class
Sunday, January 31st
Oxford, Florida
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This Week's Sponsors
Salon Bark
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Next Week
 Administering Pet Medication
Introducing...
The C.A.T. Teen Corps
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Volunteer Tip
The health and welfare of the individuals that we serve is very important. Be very careful to be sure that your dog does not rub against or lick any sores or wounds that a patient may have. Be aware that the sores may be on their feet and legs in addition to their arms and hands.
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Community Happenings
 Palm Beach County Dog Fanciers All Breed Dog Show March 13th & 14th |
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 An Animal-Assisted Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their Peers in the Classroom
Educational programs
that use animal-assisted interventions have the potential to help hundreds of
children with autism spectrum disorder around the globe.
Autism is a
widespread and debilitating disorder that has no treatment or cure and affects
one in every 91 children in the United States.
Fulbright Scholar,
Maggie O'Haire, in conjunction with The Centre for Companion Animal Health and
the School of Psychology at the University of Queensland in Australia, has just
completed a research project examining the effects of animal-assisted
interventions for children with autism.
"Before we see an
increase in community these specialized programs it is vital that research
begins to demonstrate these critical benefits for children with autism", Maggie
said.
More specifically
Maggie's project involved fifteen schools across Brisbane, Australia who undertook to care for
guinea pigs in their classrooms.These guinea pigs were then part of the interactive animal assisted
intervention carried out in small sessions with a child with autism and some of
their classroom peers.
In most cases
children with autism suffer from peer rejection, social isolation, and
loneliness, which can make succeeding in the school environment very difficult.
Maggie's research
analyzed whether an animal-assisted intervention could help children with
autism to improve their behavior and integration into the school classroom,
decrease their tendency to be self-absorbed and improve their use of language.
During twice-weekly
sessions the children learned about the guinea pigs and developed increased
awareness, understanding and empathy for the animals.
Maggie found the
reaction to be overwhelmingly positive by teachers and students, as well as the
parents.
"The response to the
program has been overwhelming - I never expected to get such a positive
reaction. I haven't finished the analysis of my research yet but in examining
the general feedback - I am really pleased to see the project helping the kids
as well as their parents and teachers", Maggie said.
One teacher remarked that after the animal
assisted activities the child with autism spectrum disorder 'showed increased
maturity and responsibility, and is much calmer now'.
Another teacher
explained, "The child with autism in my class now has a positive attitude about
coming to school. She is calmer
and has developed better organizational skills from it. This has been a very rewarding
experience for all of us."
As a further sign of
its success many teachers found the program so helpful they adopted the guinea
pigs in order to continue the program.
Once Maggie
completes her findings she will develop a resource for schools and parents on
how to conduct animal assisted activities in the classroom and at home.
"It has been
enormously satisfying to work with these children and to watch their reaction
and response to being with the guinea pigs", Maggie said.
To learn more about
the project or find out how you can become involved, please contact Maggie at
maggie.ohaire@gmail.com
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Hope - C.A.T. Dog in Training
Meet Hope. Hope is owned by our Assistant Director, Joanne Jurgle, and is the newest addition to the Canine Assisted Therapy family.
Salon Bark generously donated Hope at the age of 11 weeks, to the C.A.T. Program to be "groomed" into a Certified C.A.T. Dog. Many facilities need dogs that do not shed and are more hypoallergenic than other breeds, and being a Poodle, Hope is the perfect breed to meet those needs.
Joanne has been busy with all the training that comes with having a puppy. Hope just completed a 4 week puppy class taught by Susan Claire, CPDT, and will be starting Susan's Doggy Be Good Class on January 27th. Both of these programs are held at the Humane Society of Broward County. Once Hope completes the Doggy Be Good Class, Susan Claire will be working with Hope and Joanne in a 6 week private class for Advanced Training with emphasis on passing the American Kennel Club's (AKC) Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test. Since all Certified C.A.T. Dogs must hold the AKC Canine Good Citizen Certification, Hope will be well on her way to becoming a Certified C.A.T. Dog!
We will be giving monthly updates on Hope's training progress with tips on how you can Make Your Dog a C.A.T. Dog!
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Dear Georgia: Dog Thinks He's "Pavarotti"
Dear Georgia: It was "piano day" at the nursing facility that I visit. All the residents gather around the piano man and sing songs. One of the residents asked my mom if I would bark on command. My mom answered, "Yes, of course he will speak on command." The next thing I know, they all wanted me to sing along. Barking in a facility is not permitted according to the C.A.T. Guidelines. I am a confused hound. Do I bark and sing and make the residents happy? Or, do I say "No" and make them unhappy? - Confused HoundDear Pavarotti Hound: Boy! this is a tough question to answer. Barking is strongly discouraged in a facility because it can be very distracting and even frightening to patients and residents. Has your owner talked to the Activity Director and asked him or her their "rules" for dogs participating in a sing along? Are you as a dog, obedient enough that you will not use your own discretion and bark when you are not asked? If you and your owner can confidently answer "yes" to both of these questions, then I would say that in this instance, it is OK to go ahead and flex your pipes to make the residents happy. If you cannot answer "yes" to both of these questions with great confidence, then you will have to tell the residents that you have to save your singing voice for the recording studio. - GeorgiaEmail your questions to DearGeorgia@catdogs.orgBack to Top |
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