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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 Goldens Sprocket and Ripley
This is Sprocket, a Golden who went from worthless to
priceless in the minds of many due to the help and work of Lori Whitwam, chapter director
for Therapy Dogs International In October 1997, Lori got a call from Agnes Rambeck
of Retrieve a
Golden of Minnesota, asking her if she wanted to
foster a dog named Parker. Lori had expressed an interest in fostering & was
thrilled to accept. When she met with Agnes at a pet supply store to get Parker,
"he came out of the car in a flurry of scrambling paws and a wildly whipping
tail." Lori, of course, began to wonder what she had gotten into! Parker had
been left out in the yard all the time at his old home, and was easily able to get out of
the yard. But, his owners refused to bail him out of the pound, so he became a rescue dog.
Lori already had her own resident Golden, Ripley, a
Golden with his own page,
Ripley's
Retrieve-It-or-Not. And he wasn't sure what to make of this intruder. Lori says,
"Ripley played "border collie, trying to herd this dog away from me at every
opportunity." She was anxious to place this foster boy, so that she could get
her household back to normal, and soon had an applicant that seemed perfect. They wanted
to do obedience and agility with Parker, were putting in a fence, and came to meet him and
adored him. Unfortunately, when Lori and Parker went to their home to visit, their
seven cats were not about to let him take residence. But, it really worked out okay as
Lori's family had realized that they were pretty attached to the "big lug" and
decided to adopt him themselves. They changed his name to Sprocket & enrolled him
in obedience, and "he was a natural." With little effort, Sprocket got the blue
ribbon for best dog in the class, and got his Canine Good Citizen certificate with a
perfect score. As Lori's Golden Ripley (shown on the left next to
Sprocket) had already been a therapy dog through Therapy Dogs International for two years,
she believed Sprocket would also do well in this field. Lori says that although
Ripley is good for the job and enjoys the attention, he "doesn't come out of himself
as much as Sprocket, who is right out there enjoying everyone." She knew that
Sprocket would be a super therapy dog, and tested him at a recent TDI evaluation. He
did wonderfully, and they are now waiting for his credentials to come back so that he,
too, can begin brightening other people's lives as much as he has brightened
theirs. Lori says, "There was a time in his life when Sprocket was considered
worthless. He came within hours of extermination, but was saved thanks to Golden
Retriever rescue. Now he is without a doubt *priceless* and has so much to share with
the world. I'm so grateful that he has had this chance."
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