The most accepted terms for this field are Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) and Animal-Assisted Activities (AAA). AAT involves
working with someone when a specific goal has been identified. If you do this as a
volunteer, you will work with a professional who will assist you in selecting goals for
different individuals. AAA are those activities designed to strengthen someone's quality
of life. Usually performed by volunteers, they are generally "meet and greet"
activities.
Meet Golden Olivia
When it comes to big
brown eyes that beg for attention, Olivia, the Golden
Retriever, has mastered the art. At a recent
“graduation” party at Medical Center of Aurora she
managed to get more hugs than anyone. Doctors thought
she deserved to share in the goodies and the honoree was
moved to tears as she hugged Olivia and said good-bye.
It is hard to believe
that five years ago Olivia was locked in an eight by ten
foot cage with no dog house and only gravel to lie on. She was fed a poor quality dog food and probably
anything that she could catch. For three years, since
she was three months old, she had lived in that cage
watching children play in the yard and the world pass
her by. The owners of the yard in
which she was imprisoned decided to re-landscape and
part of the plan was to incorporate the cage area into
the main yard. They planned to have her “killed” (their
words) because no one wanted her. Fortunately, a pet
loving landscaper that Sally (Olivia’s current “Mom”)
knew was awarded the contract. For a month Sally and
the landscaper went to the back of the yard to try to
establish a relationship with Olivia. Olivia had never
been socialized so aggression was the only response she
knew to return the friendliness. As the time came near
that the yard project was coming to an end, Sally knew
it was time to follow her heart and take a chance to
rescue Olivia from further abuse and eventual death. Under cover of darkness one night, a strategically
planned covert operation freed Olivia from her inhumane
confinement along with a promise that she would never
again be mistreated. Her captors didn’t even notice she
was missing, let alone want her back. Unfortunately Olivia did
not think she had died and gone to Heaven. Taken from
the only world she had known, she was frightened and
confused with her new environment and life with Sally. With the exception of her savior Sally, she tried to
bite anyone who came near. Years of malnutrition had
taken its toll on Olivia’s stamina and the stress of her
new life caused her to loose thirteen pounds in the
first three weeks. Her hair fell out as well. Coming into the house for
the first time was terrifying. Obviously her lack of
socialization had taken a heavy toll. Showing her
SUPERIOR intelligence Olivia very quickly learned the
idea of potty training. Being in the yard without being
confined to a small area was a long-time challenging
adjustment. Running loose in the yard was a wonderful
new freedom. For a year Olivia worked
very hard on socialization and building trust. Her
health returned and the once neglected blonde became a
stunning red head. It was not an easy year. Patience
was the password to a relationship and distraction was
the only way to eliminate a faux pas. The problem was
that she still wanted to run and she had no idea how to
speak “dog.” Dog parks and visits with most other pets
were too risky. She had already received a hole in her
ear from a previous attack. Her house buddy, a ten year
old German Shepherd, who she had learned to adapt to,
had died. Sally’s work with the
American Red Cross required travel and also provided a
wonderful and very effective new training environment
for Olivia. Olivia accompanied Sally to the mountains
to socialize off leash with Search and Rescue dogs. She
attended training classes and was a natural. The
trainer of the Search and Rescue program tried to
convince Sally to turn her over to him since she seemed
so quick to learn (remember – SUPERIOR intelligence). Dog speak was easier off leash and she loved having a
job to do. The bond between Sally and Olivia continued
to grow and strengthen. Then Sally was called to
New Jersey for three and a half months to work as a
Mental Health officer for the Red Cross. This was a
trip that Olivia could not accompany Sally on. The
thought of having to leave Olivia behind was very tough
and raised many questions in Sally’s mind. Would she do
all right? Would she revert to aggression? Would she
feel abandoned? Perhaps the most difficult question in
Sally’s mind was, would Olivia still remember her after
being apart for three and a half months?
Sally’s cousin Jane
Mather graciously agreed to keep Olivia who got along
with her Search and Rescue blue heeler, Shockoe. Both
times when Sally came back for a break she went to
Fraser to be with Olivia. Needless to say Olivia had
not forgotten her. It was very hard to leave again
though. During her time in Fraser, Olivia continued to
participate in Search and Rescue training and
socialization. Jane continued applying gentle patience
with Olivia and Olivia strengthened her bond with
Shockoe. To this day, through weekly visits with one
another, the dogs continue to nurture their friendship.
Despite incredible
successes, all was not perfect. Repeated ear infections
began to take their toll and Sally became very concerned
Olivia would get too far ahead of her in the mountains
and would not be able to hear the call to return. At
that point Sally realized that a new job needed to be
found for her special dog. Because of Olivia’s
intelligence, she thrived on constant stimulation and
challenge. She had also mastered the fine art of
“people loving.” This marked the beginning of Olivia’s
accompaniment to various Red Cross meetings with Sally,
particularly the evening meetings to offer protection.
The truth of the matter is that she really went for all
of the attention.
A
dream began to develop that Olivia could be a Registered
Therapy Dog and Sally began the search for a program
that would meet both the needs of Olivia and her. Sally
envisioned them as a team that would be able to be of
service to clients in the Red Cross. Delta Society was
the organization of choice with no question. Delta’s
standards were stringent which equaled the Red Cross’
desire for excellence. Also, the Delta Society’s was
both professional and had a 26-year history of
accomplished service in the field of animal-assisted
therapy. Sally discussed Olivia’s future career as a
therapy dog with Diana, Denver Area Pet Partners
Coordinator, and there was no question. Delta was the
right choice and Olivia began on a new journey to become
a Pet Partner, Delta’s term for their registered therapy
dogs. Olivia and Sally
faithfully attended training classes toward the goal of
obtaining the AKC Canine Good Citizen award and to
improve her skills in interacting with other dogs. They
did well even though Sally was panicked most of the
time. She was so afraid Olivia would not do well and
Olivia really NEEDED to work. Another natural disaster
delayed the Delta Pet Partners training as Sally went
off to a Red Cross assignment but the dream was not to
be forgotten. Olivia’s compassion
emerged as time went on but it was clearly evident on
one particular occasion when two Dachshunds had run out
onto Sixth Avenue. By the time Sally arrived on the
scene, one dog had been hit and the other was obviously
terrified. Needless to say, the owner was distraught. A call was made to a nearby vet who agreed to see the
dogs immediately. Off everyone went. Olivia curled
around the uninjured pup and the gentleman held his
injured friend. It was pretty obvious the outcome would
not be good and Olivia supported her new friend. When
it was time to go home, she crawled in the car and just
stared out the window. That evening she grieved for
what she knew was a lost life. In 2002 Sally took the
Delta Society Pet Partners handlers training from Diana,
aided by a wonderful group of dedicated volunteers. Then, most of the class participated in six weeks of
additional therapy dog training with their prospective
Pet Partners. It was during this period of time that
Olivia was diagnosed as deaf in the left ear. Hand
signal training supplemented her therapy dog training
and she continued. Finally the day came for testing,
when Sally and Olivia were assessed for their skills and
aptitude to do therapy work. Guess who was anxious???
Olivia passed with flying colors. Soon Sally and Olivia
began their volunteer work at Medical Center of Aurora
North. The experience was unbelievable. The more she
went the more she wanted to go. Her stamina for long
hours had already been established so fatigue was not a
problem (unless she is struggling with those pesky ear
infections).
The long-term intensive
care unit was their first assignment and the various
hospital equipment, strange smells and sounds and raised
beds were no problem. As a mental health professional
Sally was comfortable dealing with the fluctuating
emotions. Olivia was held by Sally and stood on her
back legs to allow even the most medically fragile
patient to receive a visit. Her gentleness was amazing. As soon as her therapy dog vest came out at home, she
was excited and ready to go. It wasn’t too long before
Olivia had a cadre of admirers among the staff and
patients.
When
the program expanded to the Senior Care Unit, where
patients present with mental illness, specifically
varying stages of dementia often as a result of
Alzheimer’s disease, Olivia was ready. This was a job
she showed unique aptitude for. She seemed to understand
their confusion and adapted herself to meet them in
their own reality, which was often far different from
actual reality. She never approached without sensing it
was okay. When patients came rushing up to her she
remained calm. She knew she could rely on her partner
Sally if she needed to be protected. At times, without
warning patients would grab her roughly. She tolerated
it with no sign of aggression, instead she looked up at
Sally, seemingly asking, “Okay Mom, what now?” What a
change from that frightened dog of years past!
And how does she do with
other dogs? Just ask Harriet the Basset Hound and
fellow Pet Partner. At a recent luncheon at the
hospital, Sally and Olivia came in the back door and
Judy, Harriet’s handler, was up front with Harriet. Everyone chuckled in amusement as the dogs greeted each
other from opposite ends of a large room. Harriet bayed
in response to Olivia’s bark. Once initial greetings
were done, both dogs settled. Attending hospital
luncheons isn’t the only way appreciation is shown for
the work the dogs do with the patients. One of the
benefits of being a therapy dog is that the hospital
staff always have a little treat. With gentleness that
is astounding Olivia takes a treat from anyone, staff
and patients alike. She does not ask Sally’s
permission. But then – the important thing is that she
be happy. Just ask Sally.
Olivia
goes just about everywhere with Sally. They recently
taught a Red Cross course up in Casper, WY for two days
– eleven hours each day with two days of travel. Olivia
has been a co-instructor in classes all over the area
and has mastered the art of working the room. She
readily identifies the most needy person in the room and
dispenses comfort by lying down by them. In early April, Denver
was blessed with nearly three feet of snow and Sally was
called to Denver International Airport to meet the
emergency needs of stranded passengers. It was only
natural for Olivia to go along and the airport officials
agreed. For three days they lived in the airport with
the passengers. Sleep was gotten only in snatches. At
one point a young soldier on his way overseas came
looking for something to eat. He was too anxious to
sleep and had been awake for two nights. Since he
seemed so totally enthralled with Olivia, Sally
suggested he lie down (on the floor as that was all that
was available) with Olivia. In five minutes both were
snoring. Fortunately, he was told before long when his
flight was departing and the two of them slept soundly
until Sally woke them for breakfast and the soldier’s
departure. Another incident of
Olivia’s wonderful ability to turn a negative into a
positive occurred with a little girl who had endured
mouth surgery before being stranded at the airport. She
was understandably cranky from hunger, fatigue and the
pain in her mouth. While Sally got the paramedics to
deal with the pain and Pour Le France prepared scrambled
eggs (this was in the middle of the night), Olivia
provided the needed comfort. When the little girl’s
tummy was full and the pain was abated the two of them
settled down to a cozy, satisfying nap. Olivia worked for three
days and nights at the airport. She was tired when she
got home and slept for 12 hours but she did her job and
did it well. Olivia now lives the life
of a truly treasured friend and has recently acquired a
new friend of her own. Sally had told her they were
going to get a female Golden Retriever someday and would
name her Fiona. Well, that has not happened yet. However, Olivia helped with a rescue after the May snow
storm and now has Pauline to torment her. A patio roof collapsed on
a litter of kittens who were not yet weaned. After four
days the owners of the house called for help because of
the crying they could hear. Sally was called in with
Olivia to check it out. Under the debris Olivia
excitedly sniffed and Sally was guarded as Olivia had
not met a cat before – well, at least not one that she
didn’t try to chase. Amongst the rubble lay a sickly
feral kitten, the only survivor from the ugly collapse
that had killed her mother and siblings. Sally felt
compelled to take the kitten home herself. Olivia sat
with her in the car all the way home and seemed just
curious. Then, the unthinkable
happened. Pauline had recovered and was missing. Sally
suggested Olivia “Go Find” the kitty and soon Olivia
returned, gently carrying the kitten in her mouth by its
head. Even though several people had come forward to
adopt the kitten, she had already found a new owner and
friend. Olivia had claimed her as her own. What started as a life of
terrible neglect and abuse, has now become a living
miracle of the incredible capacity for forgiveness and
love that exists in a dog. This miracle is Olivia. Olivia has come a long way. The painful memories of
being unloved have not succeeded in destroying her
capacity for sharing her own unconditional love. So
that no one else will feel the pain of being unloved,
Olivia doles out her special brand of love to everyone
she meets. If only we could love so unconditionally,
without prejudice and selfishness, and perhaps most
admirably, without expecting anything in return.
Editors note:
Thank you, Olivia, for enduring all that you have,
for being all that you are, and for all you are yet
to become. Sally, you are to be commended for your
compassion in not turning your back on an animal in
need, for your foresight in realizing the
incredible potential in Olivia and your perseverance
and commitment to an arduous and lengthy training
period to polish this "diamond in the rough". You
and Olivia embrace the will and determination it
takes to excel in animal-assisted therapy and truly
make a difference in every life you touch. It's an
honor to work alongside you on the Denver Pet
Partners team and Delta Society is proud to have
Olivia wearing her green Delta therapy dog vest .
Article reprinted with permission by Diana M. McQuarrie Executive Director,
Denver Pet Partners, (303) 948-6363
(office) / (720) 359-5421 (fax)
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