It was Christmas day, 1996, when my American Bulldog, Boo (dressed in full Christmas attire, complete with antlers and jingle bells), and I approached the recreation room of this health care home in Shoreham, New York for the first time. I was a bit nervous about this visit, as my therapy dog coordinator, Diane Fischer of Paumanauk Pet Facilitated Therapy Program, had warned me that several of their therapy dogs had not done well visiting this particular location. She explained that the autistic and mentally handicapped adults that reside in this facility show their delight in seeing the dogs in unusual ways. While I was prepared for the screaming, flailing, pinching and staring I had been told about, I was not 100% certain of what my gentle giant, Boo’s, reaction would be. Boo had the stable nerve expected of American Bulldogs and had never shown any aggressive tendencies, however, she had never been exposed to people who might behave in these ways. With a deep breath, I stepped into the room with Boo. Boo’s first challenge came immediately as a 20 year old Down’s Syndrome woman locked eyes with her. The woman's eyes were wide open, intense and unblinking. My heart pounded as I heard a soft, deep growl emanating from Boo’s throat. Just as I decided that it would be best if I took Boo home, the woman burst our laughing and screamed, "PUPPY!" Immediately Boo’s demeanor changed. Her flat ears came forward, her head lifted and her stiff tail became a whip as she wiggled fiercely with joy. My heart burst with pride as Boo accepted each and every person there that day, even laying on the floor with a young man whose body was so contorted that he was unable to sit up. That was a Christmas that I will never forget.

Pet therapy had its start in 18th century England when the York Retreat encouraged its patients to care for the facility’s livestock. Over the next two centuries, increasing numbers of institutions began to recognize the healing power of animals. From nursing homes to reform schools to prisons, pets are used today to humanize the environment and boost the self-esteem of residents. A recent television documentary interviewed female inmates in The Purdy Treatment Center in Washington State. These women are participating in a revolutionary program in which they learn to train dogs to assist people suffering from seizure disorder. While these women are learning a valuable vocational skill and reaping the rewards of contributing in a positive manner to society, they are also receiving from the animals in their care unconditional love, often for the first time in their lives. This concept is the basis for the therapy program at Green Chimneys, a non-secure residential facility for juveniles in Westchester County, New York. Here the children are each assigned to care for their own animal, very often sick and abandoned dogs, cats and even livestock. The judge asked one young man who came in to the Westchester County Family Court where I work as a Court Officer how he was getting along at Green Chimneys. The child enthusiastically responded, "They gave me my own dog. I named him Gus and he was sick, but I give him medicine and now he is better. Idid that!"

The benefits of pet/human interaction are vast and well documented. Several national pet therapy organizations coordinate volunteers with facilities that desire them (See pet therapy resource list at end of article). The most well known of these is Therapy Dogs International (TDI). Established in 1980 by founder, Elaine Smith RN, the goals set forth by TDI are, "To unite and increase the number of available therapy dogs, give them the recognition they deserve and alert hospitals and other institutions of the importance and sources of therapy dogs." In order for a dog to become TDI certified, it must pass the AKC’s Canine Good Citizen test and be evaluated by a TDI inspector. Many smaller therapy organizations, such as Paumonauk Pet Facilitated Therapy Program in Medford, New York, pay (through donations by civic groups) for their prospective therapy dogs to attend obedience courses. Whether you decide to join a national organization or volunteer with a local therapy group, it is recommended that you make sure that your therapy activities are covered by a good liability insurance policy. Even the most gentle of therapy dogs can scratch a delicate palm while offering a paw or wiggle a bit too roughly with the joy of the human touch (we all know how painful those American Bulldog tails can be!).

There is no such thing as a typical pet therapy visit. The content, duration and even the number of dogs in attendance varies from facility to facility. You can go alone, with one dog, and visit a nursing home, stopping in each and every room to see if the resident would like a visit. You can go with several friends and their therapy dogs and head for the recreation area of the facility. Many facilities prefer an appointment where they can announce the date of the therapy dog’s visit and make a party of the visit for the residents. Other facilities prefer an open-door policy, welcoming the therapy-dog team whenever they have a chance to stop in. One thing that I have found is that most facilities are extra grateful for the presence of a therapy dog on holidays, when those that do not have families in for a visit are longing for some happiness in their day.

American Bulldogs, because of their versatility as a breed, make excellent therapy dogs. Sharon Mitchell, President of the American Bulldog Club of Long Island, is very active in therapy work with her American Bulldogs, Kitty and Jed. Every other Sunday Sharon leaves our Schutzhund club a few minutes early in order to make her twice monthly therapy visits on time. "It’s amazing," she says of Kitty and Jed, "These guys leave the Schutzhund field after doing some pretty intense protection work and go right into the nursing homes wiggling for the residents. They look so forward to their visits, I don’t know who enjoys the experience more!" Most American Bulldogs have very loving dispositions. They stay calm under extraordinary circumstances. Matt Green did therapy work for some time with his dog, Bane, through the therapy dog program in his area called Lend-A-Heart. Bane, an American Bulldog with degrees in Ringsport, Schutzhund and WABA venues, demonstrated the versatile nature of a well-bred working American Bulldog by regularly visiting an elementary school for abused children. "Every month we would receive progress reports from the school’s administrators which made the therapy work feel very worthwhile," reports Matt. "Since the initiation of the program there had been NO reports of animal abuse and nearly every child in the program had made progress which was attributed to the presence of the animals."

Getting started in therapy work is fairly easy. First you must determine whether your dog has proper socialization for the work. The dog must be confident in strange situations. Tail tucking, hand shyness and nervousness are not attributes of a good therapy dog. Socializing your dog in busy shopping centers and parks will help prepare you dog for a lot of human interaction and get it used to different people, places and things. Renting a wheelchair, walker and crutches for a week or so can get your dog accustomed to being around these strange items, making them seem commonplace. It is imperative to teach your dog basic manners and obedience. The dog must know the commands sit, stay, heel, come and down. Taking the time to teach tricks as simple as catch, speak or even paw will bring delight to the residents you visit. Get your dog used to strange and sudden sounds. A therapy dog must remain calm when lunch trays crash to the floor or a patient is screaming with dementia.

I recommend starting an American Bulldog in therapy work at approximately two years of age. By this point, the dog’s defense drive should be fully developed and you won’t have on your hands a nasty case of "uh-oh, my dog never did THAT before!" By two years of age, your dog should be well socialized, well trained and ready to begin a rewarding career as a therapy dog.

Aside from the positive experience you and your dog will have, using American Bulldogs for therapy work is a good idea for the breed itself! Volunteering your American Bulldog’s time and demonstrating his/her stable temperament will help promote a positive public image for the breed. This is crucial in this day and age of anti-breed legislation. If you do participate in Therapy work with your American Bulldog, contact your local cable station. Often these stations are interested in doing community stories. A story on your American Bulldog and the loving work he/she does would make excellent publicity for the breed!

In May of 1997, Boo and I made our last therapy visit together. Poor, sweet Boo, crippled with hip and elbow dysplasia, was scheduled to be euthanized the following week to end her suffering. My mother, a double amputee and recipient of many of Boo’s healing visits, requested to see Boo one last time at the nursing home where she was receiving physical therapy. When we arrived at the home an hour early, my mother was not in her room. Sighing with dismay, I looked down the long, shiny linoleum corridor Boo would have to struggle down to get to the sunroom where my mother loved to sit. "C’mon honey," I whispered, "you can do it one more time for Grandma." Halfway down that endless hallway, I saw a very elderly woman, sitting in her wheelchair, alone. Her head bowed down, bald, except for one thin braid that hung from the bottom, tied with a pretty blue bow that matched her cardigan perfectly. As we approached she looked up and reached her frail hand out toward Boo. Boo spotted her and gave up her pained, slow walk, almost dragging me to the little lady. When we reached her, the woman cradled Boo’s head in her arms, giving her light, tender pats and kissing her ears. She then looked up at me with tears in her eyes. Taking my hand she gave me a kiss. "Bless you," she said, "Bless you." To this day I don’t know for sure who was the greatest beneficiary of that visit, but somehow, I think it was me.

{This article was written in memory of my beautiful mother, Joan Faith Walsh and my sweet Boo, who brought so much love to our lives.}

Therapy Dog Resources

"Critter Chronicles,"

Monthly newsletter for pet therapy volunteers.

ATU

859 N. 300 E.

Spanish Fork, Utah 84660
 
 

The Delta Society

289 Perimeter Road E.

Renton, Washington 98055-1329

1-800-869-6898

http://www.deltasociety.org.
 
 

Therapy Dogs International

88 Bartley Road

Flanders, NJ 07836

973-252-9800

http://www.tdi-dog.org
 
 

www.golden-retriever.com/therapy.html

Excellent webpage with links to national and international pet therapy programs

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