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12-09-2011, 03:37 AM | #1 |
Donating Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Vermont
Posts: 90
| Concerned One of the reasons we got Smokey was as a pleasant diversion for my Mom who has recently entered permanent care at a local nursing home. We visit a great deal and Smokey has become a celebrity with both staff and the patients. He is very good with people and I was thinking of going through therapy treaining with him and get certified. We met a new Rehab resident two weeks ago who claims to have been a Yorkie breeder and involved in Therapy and she warned us against this, stating that patients would handle him roughly, try to feed him their meds, needles?, sneak him 'treats', etc, etc. In reading what I just typed, I realize that the woman must be a little nuts, because patients are dispensed meds and they usually arent lying about and neither are needles, but listening to all of this has put a lot of doubt in our minds about going forward with therapy training. We dont let him out of our sight when we are visiting and he is never off leash. We occasionally hand him over to people when they request it, but only for a fast hug. There is a locked wing for advanced Alzheimer and dementia patients who are potentially dangerous to themselves or others and we arent allowed in there. We dont intend to visit any hospital facilities or any other nursing home in the area. My question is this: should we really bother with Therapy training and what are the advantages besides Liability protection, which I dont really understand to begin with. If we are certified, are we protected from a lawsuit if Smokey were to bite someone? Call me selfish, but now that I got my head out of the clouds and my confidence shaken, I am more interested in protecting my dog's health and safety than in doing 'good' works. Certainly, Smokey isnt going to miss all the extra attention, or should I say TENSION??
__________________ Smokey's personal assistant, Jeff |
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12-09-2011, 04:29 AM | #2 |
I♥PeekTinkySaph&Finny Donating Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Posts: 18,866
| Good questions... I have no clue, lol. It seems a waste to go through the training if you're not going to go to other homes with him. But, on the other hand, training never hurts, and there are other areas, such as agility or obedience if you want to train him but decide the Therapy training isn't what you really want to do.
__________________ Kat Chloe Lizzy PeekABooTinkerbell SapphireInfinity |
12-09-2011, 04:45 AM | #3 |
Yorkie Yakker Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Fl
Posts: 32
| Pet Therapy is Wonderful! As a Director of Nursing at an area N.H., I bring my Lilly to work everyday and we host many, many therapy dogs. The program is heartwarming to see. I have seen residents who never speak or smile open up when a therapy dog is placed in their arms. Yes, please do it! If you are with your dog, you can control the visits. We do not have pills or needles laying around! We also have a facility cat and since she does have run of the building she does sometimes get fed people food, with kind coaching it usually stops. You just cannot know how much the elder folks benefit from these animal visits! |
12-10-2011, 09:34 AM | #4 |
I ♥ Snoopy and Sally! Donating YT Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Ohio
Posts: 780
| Snoopy and I do therapy work at a nursing home. He is certified with TDI (therapy dogs international). The insurance covers anything that might come up. They told us in class that someone's dog had his foot run over by a wheel chair and the insurance even covered that. You should be able to totally control the situation. Sometimes people want to hold Snoopy, and I sorta let them, but I don't let go of him, and I don't force him. When he is ready to go, we go. Sometimes our visits are just ok, but sometimes we really touch someone's life. The person who has a hard time with speech who makes a big effort to talk to Snoopy, or the one who shook really badly but petted Snoopy really touch my heart.
__________________ Snoopy, Sally, and Mommy |
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