GrouchyPuppy® Blog | Dog Lovers Source | Education Inspiration Fun!

PAWsitive Therapy Troupe Dogs Help Illinois First Graders Learn to Read

Teacher's Pet. It is great to see these dogs helping kids build their reading skills in the classroom.

via triblocal.com

The dogs, all part of PAWsitive Therapy Troupe, are vetted and trained to be docile, sweet dogs, who don’t bark wildly or get excited and playful around other dogs. They’re able to sit quietly for an hour and a half while the children take turns reading. Children only participate with permission from parents or guardians.

In some cases at Westfield Elementary last week, the dogs snuggled up to the children reading, dozed off or sat and watched their first-grade buddy sound out words.

“Sometimes they look like they’re actually enjoying the story,” Price said.

The program started last school year when school staff invited the troupe to a family literacy night. Response was overwhelmingly positive, Price said, so the groups decided to make the pairing permanent. The dogs and their trainers, all volunteers, visit the school once a month on a Friday.

They visit Briar Glen Elementary School too, and also make appearances at schools and libraries in Naperville and Lisle, said Karen Click, a program volunteer at the Downers Grove-based organization.

Click said the dogs involved in the troupe are not service dogs, but they are trained to work with physical therapists and their patients, sometimes motivating people learning to walk again after surgeries, Click said. The dogs also visit retirement communities and nursing homes.

First-grader Jonah Keating just sees the experience as a fun time to hang out with pups. “The dogs are so cute,” he said when asked why he enjoyed reading to them.

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Pet Therapy Dogs "It Gives You Chills"

Detroy tells stories of stroke patients who are seemingly paralyzed reaching out to pet a therapy dog and of an Alzheimer's patient who had seemingly lost the ability to speak, who began chattering happily when a dog cuddled up to her.

via www.courierpress.com

Chester is a beautiful, graceful 4-year-old purebred whippet but he will never win best-in-show at Westminster or any other highfalutin' dog show: The long scar on his left hind leg, evidence of surgery to correct a birth defect, would rule that out.

But to his fans at St. Mary's Medical Center, he's a champion just the same, putting smiles on the faces of patients he visits who are not enjoying the best days of their lives, and the hospital staff charged with their care.

Chester is a "Pet Therapy Dog," one of 29 specially trained and certified dogs "on staff" at St. Mary's, said Vickie Detroy, director of Planetree services there, which oversees the program.

Pet therapy dogs and their handlers walk the halls of St Mary's, primarily in the rehab, pediatrics and mental health units, looking for open doors and invitations to a little one-on-one interaction with the patients, Detroy said.

Their presence is absolutely therapeutic, she explained: "The success stories with stroke, rehab and mental health patients they just light up! Watching the dogs interact with them, it gives you chills."

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Rare Portuguese Dog Breeds Helping Farmers Co-Exist With Protected Wolves

Love reading these stories. It's win-win in my book. Portugal is trying to keep their indigenous wolves from extinction, by encouraging farmers to bring back Portuguese dog breeds as guardians of their livestock.

"We are encouraging farmers to use traditional livestock guarding dogs once again, not only to cut down on livestock attacks which will help farmers tolerate the wolf more, but also to bring these traditional Portuguese dog breeds back from the brink," explains Silvia Ribeiro, a biologist with the conservation project.

via www.bbc.co.uk

Dog breeds such as the Cao de Castro Laboreiro, Cao da Serra de Estrela and Cao de Gado Transmontano were highly valued in the past for their protective instinct and innate ability to bond strongly with the animals under their care.

"Their behaviour is quite unlike that of herding dogs. It is part of their character and breeding to bond with and protect their flock fiercely," Ms Ribeiro says. "They are always actively on the look-out, sniffing for signs of trouble and watching for livestock in distress.

She says that if under attack, the dogs will stand between the flock and the wolf, barking and chasing the wolf away. Their sense of smell is so powerful they can even distinguish between the goats of their own flock and another.

Dogs trained to track pythons in Florida Everglades

The two black Labs, Jake and Ivy, were not only faster than the humans but were able to find 92% of the snakes, while people found 64%. The dogs could even spot pythons in the water and underground!

via blog.al.com

Auburn University researchers have found a new tool in the fight against giant snakes that have infested the Florida Everglades: a couple of bouncy black Labs.

The dogs are trained to sniff out Burmese pythons, which have moved into the swamps after being released from captivity and pose a threat to the delicate ecosystem there. In a pilot study, two dogs found 19 wild snakes, including one that was 12 feet long and another that was carrying 19 eggs.

It's the first scientific approach to training dogs to find the snakes, said Christina Romagosa, a research fellow at Auburn's Center for Forest Sustainability in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, who led the study and announced the results this week. "We'd like to think that this is just the beginning of something," Romagosa said.

Burmese pythons, African rock pythons and other non-native snakes first appeared in the south Florida swamps about 30 years ago, most likely when careless owners released their too-large pets into the wild.

The pythons -- which can get up to 20 feet long and 200 pounds in their native Asian habitat -- have bred and spread even into the suburbs, where they're often found in backyards and pose a threat to pets and people.

But biologists' biggest worry is their impact on wildlife, especially in Everglades National Park.

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Service Dog Excalibur Saves Texas Pastor From Drowning in Tub

Good boy Excalibur! Another amazing example of what a service dog can do, in a blink of the eye.

via www.kwtx.com

LAMPASAS (February 6, 2012)—A service dog named Excalibur that used to be afraid of running water came to the rescue of a Lampasas man who passed out and fell into the bathtub he was filling with hot water.

Pastor Ray McCoy, who suffers from spinal cord tumors from a rare disease that also can cause blackouts, was filling the tub with hot water in which he planned to soak to relieve his chronic pain, the Texas Hearing and Service Dogs organization said in a press release Monday.

One moment McCoy was leaning over the tub as it filled and the next he was awakening from a blackout with the water still running as the black Labrador retriever pulled him out of the bathtub by his ankle.

“With Excalibur’s help, I was able to roll myself out of the tub,” McCoy said.

“Then he fetched my phone for me and I was able to call my wife and son for help.”

The nonprofit Texas Hearing and Service Dogs organization trained the dog for McCoy and one of the focuses of the training was overcoming Excalibur’s fear of running water.

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Dogs Help Kids Reading Skills in NJ Libraries

Love this photo of the little girl reading "A Bad Kitty Christmas" to a dog wearing a party hat. What could be a happier environment to encourage a child's confidence in their reading?

via www.nj.com

Staff photo by Lori M. Nichols/Gloucester County Times

Five-year-old Jacob D'Amico, of Pitman, reads to "Remi" as the dog's owner, Sharon Bednar, watches at the Swedesboro Library Monday night. PAWS for People puts on a program in which kids can read to trained therapy dogs to help increase their confidence in their reading skills.

“Jacob is autistic so talking to people is not very easy for him,” D’Amico said. So, she brought her son to participate in PAWS for Reading at the Swedesboro Public Library Branch.

“He does very well with animals. He’s actually been reading very well.” D’Amico said the atmosphere — a packed area with lots of distraction — is usually one her son wouldn’t normally do well in, but on Monday, he was reading away.

“We’ll definitely be doing this again,” she said.

PAWS for Reading, a program in which therapy dogs and other animals are trained to sit and patiently listen to children read, is one of the initiatives for the volunteer pet therapy service PAWS for People.

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Therapy Dogs’ Presence Steadily Grows in Libraries

I'm a huge proponent of dogs helping everyone learn to read. It doesn't matter if it's a child or an adult learning English as a second language, a dog can instill needed confidence that gives an invaluable boost to the student.

“Everybody comes up and says you don’t know what this means to me, thank you for doing this.”

via lj.libraryjournal.com

...a study at Tufts University found that students who read to dogs have better outcomes than students who read to humans. They experienced a slight gain in reading ability and attitudes toward reading, while those who read to people experienced a decrease on both measures. Even more noticeable, there was no attrition in the dog group, while one third of those reading to humans failed to complete the program.

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Therapy dogs brighten up senior life in Ohio

via www.lancastereaglegazette.com

Janice Cox, of Coshocton, said she is shy -- that is, until animals are in the room. "I just love (dogs). I love them for companionship," she said. "I always come (to the center) when they have them."

"Some of our seniors aren't able to have animals at home for one reason or another. It gives them the opportunity to have some times with pets and petting," Senior center director Jamie Thomas said. "We have a lot of animal lovers here. It just makes them feel good. It's an uplifting thing we can do to make them smile."

"I like to watch the dogs interact with the seniors, and I also enjoy talking with the seniors. Most of them will reminisce about pets they've had in the past," Sue Swails said. "It brings back childhood memories. Most of the time it's happy memories, but sometimes I've had people cry about pets they've lost."

"I'm a little afraid of dogs when there's nobody around. I'm glad they bring them in, because when I know it's safe I like to be around them," Carolyn Gonder said. "Animals make you happy."

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Dog Saves Owner's Life With Heroic Phone-Grabbing Trick

This story should make every dog trainer, and service dog proud. And I couldn't agree more with this headline, "Genius Dog Saves Owner's Life With Heroic Phone-Grabbing Trick" that Anna North wrote.

What I love about this photo, Danny seems to be saying,"What trick? That was all skill baby." I say, Danny, you're the man and one amazing dog! Nice job buddy.

via jezebel.com

Bethe Bennett fell on her tile floor Friday and broke her femur. She lay on the ground in excruciating pain, aware that no visitors were coming until Tuesday.

“I was scared. I really thought I was going to die,” Bennett told ABCNews.com. “I knew I was going into shock because I’m a nurse.”

But Danny, a trained service dog who used to care for Bennett’s now-deceased mother, lent a helping paw that helped save his devoted owner’s life.

“I started asking Danny to get me the phone,” Bennett said. “He ran back and forth a couple of times barking and finally jumped up and knocked the phone over and pushed it with his nose toward me.”

But then Bennett realized the paramedics may not have been able to get into her locked house.

“Paper!” she asked Danny. He brought over five sheets, one of which had the phone numbers of Bennett’s neighbors.

Bennett called her neighbors, who unlocked her home with a hidden spare key just as paramedics arrived.

Read the full story and see the video at ABCNews.com

 

NYC Police Dogs Getting Stealthy Infrared Cameras

Gone are the days of a simple spiked-collar on a well-trained German shepherd or a Doberman Pincher to intimidate the bad guys in pastel polyester leisure suits with wide lapels. 

The New York Times reports that the current group of new canine recruits graduating in February, will be the first New York Police Department dogs getting equipped with $9,000 infrared cameras, "the same type used by the Navy Seals in the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound last year."

The new gadgets sound like money well spent, because they will save lives. And for me, any uniformed dogs wearing this kind of equipment should cast an intimidating presence to bad guys, without a single growl. 

via cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com

The camera allows officers to see what is happening and who might be lurking in dark areas like some parts of the subterranean system, the police said. In the event of an accident or a terrorist act, dogs with cameras might be able to get to spaces that officers cannot.

“The cameras can save officers’ lives by enabling us to see what’s down the field before we go there,” said Lt. John Pappas, who has led the transit bureau K9 unit since 2006.

The camera was one of several purchases made by the Police Department with approximately $100,000 in grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Transportation Security Administration. Other newly acquired high-tech equipment includes a canine GPS tracking system to follow the trail of dogs tracking a scent; a dog collar that emits light; and two custom-built mobile kennel trucks equipped with air-conditioning and food so the dogs can rest, eat a meal if the unit is deployed overtime, or cool down from summer heat. The trucks, which were designed by Officer Geraci, can store enough food to feed the dogs for up to a month, so they can be transported to disaster scenes in other regions if needed.

“We’re all sheepdogs looking for wolves, and my job is to keep my flock safe,” Lieutenant Pappas said.

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Vets Helping Heroes| Animal Assisted Therapy and Soldiers

79-year-old Irwin Stovroff knows something about being a warrior, and carrying out a mission. In WWII after his plane was shot down, he parachuted behind enemy lines, but managed to toss the dog tags that identified him as Jewish, before being captured. He spent the next year in a Nazi POW camp.

In 2008 this honored combat vet began a new mission, one that focused on wounded warriors. Stovroff launched Vets Helping Heroes a nonprofit to help soldiers by providing them with service and guide dogs.

via dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com

After learning that the federal government has no program to match injured soldiers with service dogs, Irwin Stovroff started a charity in 2007 called Vets Helping Heroes. Since then, he’s raised $3 million to supply vets with seeing-eye and therapy dogs. "I really recognize what a dog can mean, what a dog can do for somebody," he told NBC’s “Nightly News.” "The dog is a true lifesaver."

The highly trained service dog, Stovroff said, can give the wounded warrior "mobility, independence and a companionship that he can't get from any other way." Lt. Col. Kathy Champion served with distinction for 27 years and commanded a special combat unit in Iraq. After, returning home, she went blind from a mysterious virus she contracted in Iraq that attacked her spinal cord. At first, Champion shut herself off from family and friends.

"I became a hermit in my own house," she said. "I quit school. I quit my job. I quit being social. I didn't want to talk to anybody. I stopped answering phone calls from my son and daughter. I didn't tell anybody what was wrong. I didn't want anyone to know I wasn't the soldier I had been."

Concerned friends forced her out of her shell and she applied for a service dog from Southeastern Guide Dogs, one of the country's leading training facilities. Stovroff’s charity donated thousands of dollars to sponsor the dog, and Champion spent 26 days living and training with "Angel" at the facility's Florida campus. She described it as a "life-changing" event.

Read the full article and see the video

Dogs keep kids excited about reading

Dogs make a wonderful mentor to kids. What teacher or parent wouldn't love to hear these words from a second-grader?

"The best thing about Delta Dogs is you don't have to get bored with reading. You get excited," said Faith Gunnell, a Dudley second-grader who participates in the program.

via www.thefranklinnewspost.com

Dogs are helping students at Dudley Elementary School learn to read better.

The elementary students are improving their reading skills in a program they enjoy and look forward to with excitement, said Principal Lisa Bowman.

Each week, half a dozen volunteers bring their specially trained, therapy dogs to the school for the reading sessions with the students.

Dudley Elementary is participating in Delta Dogs, a Reading Education Assistance Dogs program. The national program is dedicated to improving the reading skills of children using certified therapy teams as literacy mentors.

The owner-handlers and their dogs work with individual students during school hours on a one-on-one basis for approximately 15-20 minutes each per week. There is no charge for the program.

"The best thing about Delta Dogs is you don't have to get bored with reading. You get excited," said Faith Gunnell, a Dudley second-grader who participates in the program.

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Babble.com | 10 ways a puppy prepares you for parenthood

Babble.com is an online parenting resource. They sent us this list of ten ways that a puppy might be the best idea for those thinking about becoming a parent. Pet care and vet bills will be for the life of your dog. Being prepared for medical costs, number five on the list, rings true for me. Having a budget for vet bills, and exploring pet insurance, are important considerations before having a dog. How do you think a dog, as a puppy or a senior, prepares you for being a parent?

 

via www.babble.com

5 of 10: There is no such thing as a free puppy.

Vaccinations and spaying/neutering add up to a number of pricey vet bills in the first few months of companionship. Spoiler alert: Puppies don't get cheaper as they grow up, and neither do kids.

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Maryland Therapy Pets Encourage Kids in Paws to Read Program

Encouraging kids to read is wonderful, and such a confidence booster.

At the event, Thompson said she planned to read “Carl and the Kitten” to the cat. “This is the first time,” she said of her participation in the program. “We’re really excited about it. I want to be a pet store owner.”

via www.somdnews.com

The event, “Paws to Read,” began four years ago as a means for early or struggling readers to develop their skills by reading to a listener who would not criticize them, Children’s Department Coordinator Beverly Izzi said. “It’s an opportunity for a beginning reader or a reluctant reader to read to an animal, and an animal’s just a good listener,” Izzi said. “They’re not gonna correct them. So it’s a really positive experience.”

Izzi said six therapy pets and their owners signed up to volunteer their ears for the event — five dogs and one cat. Though the cat arrived about an hour in, it was the first year the event ever had a cat since most therapy pets, animals that are trained to be calm in a public setting, are dogs, she said.

Carol Thompson, 5, of Prince Frederick, a pre-school student and avid lover of cats, held out for as long as she could waiting for the feline audience to arrive, and Izzi said she was glad it finally worked out that Thompson could read to the cat.

“She had a birthday party to go to, but she really didn’t care about the party,” Izzi laughed on Monday.

At the event, Thompson said she planned to read “Carl and the Kitten” to the cat. “This is the first time,” she said of her participation in the program. “We’re really excited about it. I want to be a pet store owner.”

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USO Naval Station Norfolk Celebrating 5-Years of Therapy Dogs Support

Besides sharing the intrinsic value of animal assisted therapy, this story took me back to my female relatives telling me as a child, about dancing with servicemen at their local USO during World War II, for a dime. Fast forward through the years to the United Service Organizations (USO) today, like this one, and they make the perfect place for pet therapy. As Aviation Electrician 2nd Class Ernest Lozano, who is part of the Wounded Warrior program and a volunteer at USO puts it:

"They make a difference to someone who is coming back from deployment - a lot of them haven't petted a dog in a long time. I look forward to Wednesdays when they come by. Bella is really just full of energy and love."

Dogs are amazing and we salute the volunteers who share their dogs with our troops, before deployment and when they return home.

via www.norfolknavyflagship.com

Sometimes the dogs stop by Naval Station Norfolk on Saturday mornings just so the troops that are going on to the next part of the IA training have some comfort. Whether a Wednesday or a Saturday, the dogs are something the service members really appreciate. "I love seeing the dogs," said Personnel Specialist 2nd Class Laura Gulling from Reserve Component Command Region Mid-Atlantic Medical Hold.

"I miss having a dog." "Everybody likes them, they help out a lot," said Aviation Electrician 2nd Class Ernest Lozano, who is part of the Wounded Warrior program and a volunteer at USO. "They make a difference to someone who is coming back from deployment - a lot of them haven't petted a dog in a long time. I look forward to Wednesdays when they come by. Bella is really just full of energy and love."

The reasons that people volunteer to bring their dogs to the USO is similar. "Specifically, the USO was to honor my grandparents," said Lisa Rapacki, whose dog, Jack, is a Dachshund pet therapist from Norfolk. "My grandfather was retired Navy and my grandparents lived all over the world and used the USO. When they both died I missed them greatly and I thought the USO would be a great way to honor my grandparents."

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