Pet Therapy - A Volunteer's Perspective 

by Lynn Powell, ADA Pet Therapy Team  

Lynn Powell and her dog, Molly, are a registered Pet Partner Team with Delta Society.

Wow, what had I gotten us into??? Molly and I had only been on a few visits and here I was committing us to spending the afternoon with 15+ kids from a group foster home. I have to admit, I was a little apprehensive. Would the kids be too rambunctious for Molly (and me)? Would I constantly be telling them to be gentle with Molly? Maybe Molly would be nervous about all those kids around her at once.

We arrived at Candlelight Ranch at the appointed time and immediately, I discovered my fears were groundless. Molly is a beautiful dark gold Golden Retriever and almost always draws a crowd. That day was no exception. We spent several hours that afternoon hanging out with two groups of about 10 kids each ranging from 5 to 12 years of age. All of the kids were gentle and well mannered with Molly. They talked to me and to her a mile a minute, petting and hugging her the whole time.

My favorite interaction of the day was with one boy I'll call Adam, probably about 6 or 7 years old. Molly and I were watching the group he was a part of work on an art project. This little boy had been petting Molly off and on, but I hadn't heard him speak at all. One of the counselors who was there with the kids

Therapy dog Molly

, had a camera and was taking photos of the kids as they worked on their art projects. Molly and I were sitting nearby on the floor watching the children as they worked. Adam came up and quietly sat down wedging his way in between me and Molly. He put both arms around her neck and placed his head right next to hers. The counselor happened to see what was going on and was able to snap a photo of the two of them. After the photo, Adam turned toward me and flashed a huge grin. That simple gesture confirmed to me what a huge impact we were making on these kids who were living in a group foster facility who had probably come there with some pretty rough experiences in their short lives.    

I knew right then, that all of our time spent training and practicing was going to pay off and that I couldn't wait to continue spreading some Golden Retriever love to lots of people.

It's back-to-school time -- for everyone!  Build a stronger relationship with your dog by taking a group class at our air-conditioned Training Center.

 

This month we're introducing Rally to our catalog of

Cooper demonstrates a perfect "leave it".

course offerings.  Rally is sometimes described as "obedience with finesse" -- a fun way to take your handling skills to the next level after your dog has developed a foundation of basic obedience.  Rally includes movement, obedience, and verbal/nonverbal communication as a dog/handler team works through a course of stations/exercises.  For more details about Rally, read the AKC's information and FAQ at Getting Started.  Rally is taught by Elizabeth Deitz Smith; contact her with specific questions at Elizabeth@AustinDogAlliance.org.

 

Six-week training classes beginning in August include: 

For class details, dates, and online registration, visit the Dog Training section of our website.  Your class fees help fund K9 Kids and pet therapy programs throughout central Texas.  Thank you for training with ADA!    

NEW - Class and seminar attendees receive 10%  off all toys purchased the day of class.  

Carolyn with her Delta Society registered Pet Partner therapy dogs, Buzz & Lumpi.

Carolyn discovered Austin Dog Alliance in the fall of 2007, when she was searching for a Delta Society Pet Partner Evaluator to renew her pet therapy team status with her long-haired dachshund, Lumpi.

Through their discussions about pet therapy, Carolyn and Debi Krakar, Executive Director of ADA, realized they shared a common vision. As Carolyn recalls "We both understood and thoroughly believed that dogs could work magic with children with special needs".  In 2008, Paws for Alert became an ADA program, with Debi and Carolyn working together to expand their ideas on ways children with special needs could benefit through interaction with dogs.

Since joining ADA, Carolyn has worn many hats; she's served on the ADA board of directors and, as a certified dog trainer through the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, Carolyn has taught classes on pet therapy, dog manners, puppy manners, and dog manners for deaf dogs.  She became a licensed Delta Society Pet Partners Evaluator so that ADA could offer evaluations for pet therapy teams.  As Pet Therapy Director, Carolyn oversees the ADA pet therapy program, managing the process of matching teams with facilities that are best suited for them, supporting them as they work in the community, and ensuring teams maintain the level of professionalism that ADA is known for when working with numerous facilities throughout the Austin area.

This fall, Carolyn will become Director of the K9 Club - Autism Enrichment Program, with the goal of expanding the program to reach children of all ages on the autism spectrum.  Also, as ADA's Pet Therapy Director, Carolyn plans to establish a curriculum to develop higher levels of proficiency for pet therapy teams working with children on the autism spectrum at different levels of functioning. As Carolyn explains "There is quite a demand for pet therapy teams to work in classrooms with children with autism, and we want our teams to be highly skilled in working with these children".

Therapy dogs Buzz (left) and Lumpi.

Pet Therapy Evaluations