New therapy dog in the family

[mama2yorkies]

Congratulations to you both!!! What a great achievement! You must be so proud.

[Yorkiesatwork]

I'm working on sit, stay, no bark!, come here, etc., so can't see the light at the end of the tunnel yet. But I'd love for my guys to join the ranks of therapy dogs. My Mom was in a wonderful Assisted Living facility near me after her stroke... She LOVED it when a therapy animal visited. Visitors included cats, dogs, and a tiny horse believe it or not! The residents just light up.

Great job in qualifying your furr-butts for this prestigous job!

[MauiGirl]

Congratulations!

My girls would never pass the "no lick" part.... they just can't resist.

[mscat]

that is really wonderful ! My little Yorkie Suzi is just a hyper dog ... I know she is not quite cut out for therapy work. Although Legally she is my service dog.
I had been in the Critical Unit a couple years ago actually several times. And a older woman would visit with her Jack Russel . He was amazing, extremely calm , the lady would put him on the bed and I could pet him . That experience actually made me start thinking about getting my own little dog. Those times when she brough her dog really helped me feel so much better even though I had some really severe thrid degree burns. One thing I remember clearly was that the nurses had to gown up and wear masks before going in my room because i got a serious infection. However, I was STILL able to have visists from the dog. So I t is true, dogs are less germy then people. LOL. I know first hand what those visits can do for people. They are very nice. The nurses would always have doggie treats , and I even got to give those to her dog.
I don't think I will forget those Dog visits . They were so cool! Althoiugh my Suzi is a little too crazy for the work I also have a Shih Tzu . WEll she is as calm as can be and does not lick ... Suzi is a licker , and actually I can see why it would be a little problem in these kind of settings. BUt, I personally would of loved a kiss .

[YorkieMom55]

Congratulations Jilly, you go girl !!!

[alaskayorkie]

Thanks for the continued kind words, everybody! I finally sent off her paperwork yesterday, so we're just weeks away from her being a working therapy dog!

Eddie has some exciting therapy appointments tomorrow and Friday. A doctor prescribed daily therapy dog visits for two young kids were in a tragic plane crash up here. They were both badly hurt, and two people on the plane didn't survive. It's pretty exciting to see doctors taking the therapeutic powers of dog seriously. I can't wait to see if Eddie can bring some smiles to a couple of kids who deserve it.

[MauiGirl]

Originally Posted by alaskayorkie

Thanks for the continued kind words, everybody! I finally sent off her paperwork yesterday, so we're just weeks away from her being a working therapy dog!

Eddie has some exciting therapy appointments tomorrow and Friday. A doctor prescribed daily therapy dog visits for two young kids were in a tragic plane crash up here. They were both badly hurt, and two people on the plane didn't survive. It's pretty exciting to see doctors taking the therapeutic powers of dog seriously. I can't wait to see if Eddie can bring some smiles to a couple of kids who deserve it.

That is wonderful. The kids will love it!

[Maximo]

Looking forward to your report of Eddie's visit with the kids.

[alaskayorkie]

Originally Posted by Maximo

Looking forward to your report of Eddie's visit with the kids.

Ha, I always have visions of patients like that getting up and playing with Eddie with big smiles on their faces, but this was a lot more subdued. When I walked in, she just looked exhausted. She is about 8. Serious injuries, but she was talking and answering questions. She said she wanted to pet him, so I first carried him next to her and then set him on her bed. She seemed to enjoy petting him, but he was a little fidgety on the bed. It was a tiny room with lots of equipment, people coming in and out and noise in the hallway.

So I put him down on the ground and had him do a couple tricks. No smiles from this girl at first! I finally resorted to the sneeze trick, where I sneeze and he brings me a tissue, and that got our first smile. I told her I think Eddie likes her and wants to fool the nurses into thinking he's sick, and I had him do the limp trick. That got another smile

After about 10 minutes, the nurse asked if she wanted to nap, and she said yes. I asked if she wanted us to return tomorrow, and she said yes!

Her younger brother was with a doctor and we couldn't meet him. Hopefully, they'll both be there tomorrow and in better spirits.

[Maximo]

Aww, although it was different than you envisioned, Eddie and you obviously had a great effect if she wants you to return. I bet tomorrow will be even better. Hope you get to meet her brother then. Such a great thing you are doing.

[roseslevi]

Way to go...what a beautiful thing your doing for these kids. Keep up the great work. Looking forward to reading about the next visit.

[YorkieTherapy]

Hey Mike! I haven't been on here for quite some time but just had to give you all a big CONGRATS on passing the Delta evaluation. Way to go Jillie!

Poor Jillie, I bet your confused as to why you have to refrain from giving people your sweet wonderful kisses. Guinness understands, he was a kisser too, but had to go cold turkey when we started to do complex visits with people who has compromised immune systems. But you know what Jillie? I know you!ll do great work like your big brother Eddie, even without the kisses, bringing cheer to those who really need it.

Mike, read your touching story on interactions (Delta Society) magazine. I know what you mean- wish i was there to see it. Now I don't mean to put you on the spot.... Ok I will! I bet people here would love to read your story too.

[alaskayorkie]

Originally Posted by YorkieTherapy

Hey Mike! I haven't been on here for quite some time but just had to give you all a big CONGRATS on passing the Delta evaluation. Way to go Jillie!

Poor Jillie, I bet your confused as to why you have to refrain from giving people your sweet wonderful kisses. Guinness understands, he was a kisser too, but had to go cold turkey when we started to do complex visits with people who has compromised immune systems. But you know what Jillie? I know you!ll do great work like your big brother Eddie, even without the kisses, bringing cheer to those who really need it.

Mike, read your touching story on interactions (Delta Society) magazine. I know what you mean- wish i was there to see it. Now I don't mean to put you on the spot.... Ok I will! I bet people here would love to read your story too.

Aww, thanks. Jillie still has a way to go on mastering the "no kisses," but she's better every day at it.

And, wow, small world! You're the first outside of Alaska who's mentioned that article to me! I reposted it as a blog if anyone's curious.

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/blo...dog-visit.html

[lisaly]

You, Eddie, and Jilly have a lot of compassion to offer to others. You should feel very proud of yourselves. I love all of your photos, and this last one of Jillie really made me smile.

[alaskayorkie]

And an update on our visits with the kids:

I discovered one of Eddie's limitations today. While he brings smiles with tricks, he's not always the best on beds. I can make him sit, down and stay, but his focus is generally on me.

Well, today one of the kids surprised me! He asked his Mom to get something for him, and I wasn't paying attention. Next thing I know he's tossing Eddie a SQUEAKY TOY! Eddie loves his squeaky toys, so he went from manageable to manic in the blink of an eye. I had to pull him off the bed right away.

Of course, the 10-year-old boy was loving it, but all of Eddie's focus was on the toy. I had him do some tricks and rewarded him with the toy, but the nurturing side of the visit was over. We called it quits shortly after that.

I'm hoping Jillie has better bedside manners, because I really enjoy the close contact with the patients.