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.
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Upcoming Events
Continuing Education Seminar:
Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Thursday, August 5th
LAST CHANCE
SIGN UP NOW!
Find Out More!
C.A.T. Temperament Evaluation
Ft.
Lauderdale, FL
Saturday, August 14th
Find Out More!
AKC Canine Good Citizen Testing
Wilton Manors, FL
Saturday, August 21st
Find Out More!
Pompano Beach, FL
Saturday, August 28th
Find Out More!
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Our Sponsors
"Thank You" Whole Foods Market in Ft. Lauderdale for providing food for the August 5th Continuing Education Seminar
"Thank You!" to CPK in Ft. Lauderdale for providing food for the June 3rd Continuing Education Seminar
"Thank You!" to Bayview Center for hosting the August 5th Continuing Education Seminar
Salon Bark
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Content by C.A.T. Co-founder and Executive Director -
Debra M. Berger
Contributing Editor -
Charlotte R. Fee
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 It's hard to believe that on August 10th, it will
be a year since the incorporation of Canine Assisted Therapy.
Our Mission: To provide a network of qualified, dependable,
caring Therapy Teams committed to delivering a therapeutic benefit through the
use of dogs to both children and adults who need comfort, companionship, or the
unconditional love that only a dog can provide. To provide support, training, education and mentoring to
those interested in dog therapy programs. To build connections between
volunteers, facilities and individuals seeking dog therapy.
We have been truly blessed by wonderful volunteers and
supporters who are helping C.A.T. to fulfill this mission. Because of these wonderful volunteers
and supporters, our services have expanded beyond what we first
envisioned.
C.A.T. volunteers not only provide the love and affection of
their dogs to those in nursing homes, hospitals and assisted living facilities,
but are going forth and providing other much needed services with their dogs.
Some of our current and future services include:
Continuing Education: To make Animal Assisted Activities (AAA) and Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) a great experience for those
we serve and for the volunteers, education of our volunteers is key. We have been fortunate enough to have
Laura A. Weber, M.S., LMHC to head up this wonderful program which we began in
December of last year. Those who
have attended the seminars have come away with a better understanding of such
issues as: Mental Illness; Working With Special Populations; Infection Control
in Facilities; Alzheimer's and Dementia. These are just a few of the
informative seminars. By having a
better understanding of populations that we serve, our volunteers are much more
prepared to provide the quality service that they have quickly become known
for.
The Senior Corps: Senior Corps was created to involve the
residents of assisted living facilities. Many of these individuals are unable to travel outside of their
residence, so C.A.T. brings the volunteering opportunity to them. The seniors assist in the new C.A.T. dog
candidate evaluations by providing their participation with wheelchairs and
walkers to insure that the dogs are comfortable around these devices. They also help by putting together
packages for special projects and events held by C.A.T. The Senior Corps has provided an
opportunity for those confined in assisted living, to experience the wonderful
feeling of being able to give back to the community.
Teen Corps: The Teen Corps is currently in Oxford, Florida
and is led by Susan McCauley. Teens and their dogs work together with
Susan to prepare for the AKC
Canine Good Citizen evaluation with the goal of becoming a Certified C.A.T. Dog
team. The teens then visit nursing
homes in the area with their Certified C.A.T. Dogs. This program not only teaches the teens responsibility and
creates a stronger bond with their pets, but enables them to give back to the community
and fulfill their community service hour requirement.
Pack Readers Program: One of the most exciting opportunities for C.A.T. volunteers is
participating in this program. Advanced Certified C.A.T. Dogs are accompanied by their handlers into
schools to help children with their reading skills. Little did we know that the dogs not only serve to help
children with reading, but with social skills and self-confidence as well. C.A.T. understands the importance of
having knowledgeable volunteers working with the children so we are currently
putting the finishing touches on a volunteer training program specifically for
those participating in this opportunity.
Animal Assisted Therapy: Beginning this month, many of our Advanced C.A.T. Dog Teams
will be participating in Physical Therapy programs with the disabled. The dogs will be an important part of
the program by performing tasks such as walking alongside a wheel chair or
walker, fetching a ball, allowing participants to assist with grooming
activities, and many other activities. We all know how much more fun the most mundane activities are if you do
them in the company of a dog.
A very special thank you to all of our volunteers and donors
who have helped to make this possible. We can't wait to see what the future will hold for C.A.T.
and its wonderful volunteers.
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Blind Dog Helps Us See Opportunity -
Nancy Kline and Kaydee
 by Nancy Kline, Owner of Kaydee and C.A.T. Volunteer
What would you do if you saw a neon pink sign that said,
"I'm not perfect and I bet neither are you. I'm Blind."? It
sure spoke to me! That sign was on
Kaydee's kennel at the Humane Society of Broward County (HSBC). I
thought, "Wow! a blind dog," and kept on going.
So why did I just "happen" to go back the next day and the
next, and the next? What is it that tugs at your heart and says "This is my
dog"?
The first time I met her in the visiting room, she sat on my
lap but didn't really care for it - or me. In fact, she didn't care for too much of anything. What I
didn't know was that she was just brought in two days before I first saw
her. She didn't know anyone and
hadn't acclimated yet. Yet, if I were
to be her "eyes", we needed to bond somehow.
I was a P.A.L. Volunteer at the HSBC, so when I went back
four days later to work, I asked that Kaydee be brought to me in the front
office where there is a lot of commotion. When she got about three feet away from me, she whipped her
head around, air scented and "knew" it was me. That was it! Kaydee adopted me. Not only did I cry, but everyone in the
office did as well. They didn't
have much hope that someone would adopt a dog that had been blind from
birth. Three and a half years
later Kaydee is an important family member. She is my life - and I am hers.
Knowing how special she is, I wanted to do something that
would show people what she is really like. When I saw an article about Canine Assisted Therapy in the ParkPaws newsletter, I wondered if they would even
consider a dog with no eyes. I
also wondered if she would be allowed to get her AKC Canine Good Citizen Certification. Undaunted
by something that insignificant, both us gave it a try. Kaydee is now a Certified C.A.T. Dog
and has her AKC Canine Good Citizen certificate!
Are there obstacles to overcome? Certainly. Is it a little more difficult to train
her than another dog? Not really. Throughout our journey together, I've learned more from her than I ever
did in the 10+ years that I was an AKC professional handler and a licensed UKC
conformation and obedience judge. The most important thing is patience. She's shown me how smart and willing to learn that she
is. I just had to find out the
"how". Most people who see her
can't believe she has no eyes; she is that clever in her ability to get around
- even when I'm not there.
Is there a future out there for her? Certainly! We're
working on her Advanced C.A.T. certification so that she can volunteer at Joe DiMaggio's Children's Hospital and from
there, who knows? The sky's the limit!
Click Here to see Kaydee in action taking her AKC Canine Good Citizen test.
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