SPECIAL | feature
Diane with Scott & Zoe
by Mary Lou Long, MW, Rolla, Missouri Learning to Read with Pam & Haley
Meet My Therapy Dogs
by Diane Brandhorst, B, Long Beach, Mississippi
Pam Gahr, Chapter MW, Rolla, Missouri, is a talented and generous sister. She spends her time organizing visits and card-sharing with our sisters who can no longer attend meetings, serving as an officer and representing our chapter at the state convention. As the daughter and daughter-in-law of former elementary education teachers, Pam felt like she and her golden retriever, Haley, should pursue certification as a therapy dog team to help kids learn to read and enjoy reading. Pam researched various internationally- recognized programs for therapy dog teams and opted to become certified through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs. It just so happened that at the same time, a small elementary school in our area reached out to the director of the local PAWSitive Reading Program inquiring if they might have someone willing to work with their first and second grade children’s reading program. Pam and Haley gladly accepted this new volunteer assignment to listen to first and second graders read and help them improve their reading and comprehension skills. She purchased a special rug for the kids to sit on while they read to Haley, so Haley could put her head in their lap and be close during the story. At the holidays, each kid receives a meaningful book from Haley so they can build, or add to, their personal at-home library. When the COVID pandemic closed schools in 2020, the program was halted. But when Pam asked the teacher how she and Haley could help, he suggested they read with the kids via Zoom. Using Zoom, Haley and Pam read twice a day, four times a week until the end of the school year. Pam laughed, “The teacher asked if he could set up an email account for Haley so the Zoom invitations could come from ‘Haley the Dog’!” It worked beautifully and kids begged to be scheduled to read with Haley on Zoom. Team Haley and Pam read more than 30 books with students in
Say “Hello” to Scott and Zoe. They are both therapy dogs. Therapy dogs are trained to be a welcome support and a joyful friend to people who are hospitalized, reside in nursing homes, staying at behavioral health facilities as well as children spending time in day care centers for disabled children. What does it take to have your dog become a therapy dog? The easiest way is to associate with a group who will help you in the process to train and manage your dog for the task. The group I chose is Pet Partners International. Pet Partners International is supported by independent regional groups. My dogs and I are part of Visiting Pet Teams of South Mississippi. Pet Partners requires each handler train their own dog, either by themselves or through any training program, to obey basic commands. I put Scott (my first therapy dog) through the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen training program. This was very helpful as Scott was a puppy (eight months old) when we started training. Therapy dogs are required to be at least a year old to become a part of the program. Scott is very social and has a ton of energy. Although he learned most commands very easily, he had a very hard time leaving other dogs (or people who are reluctant to pay attention to him) alone. He always wants to make new friends. Zoe was much older when she came to live with us. She is not as exuberant as Scott and has no problem being calm. I call her my “lap dog” and Scott is the “personality” in our family. Scott passed his Pet Partners evaluation in April of 2019. Dogs are allowed to visit no more than two hours a day. Scott and I spent two hours a day, five-to-six days a week visiting in 2019. We were awarded the U.S. President’s award for volunteer service for that year. Of course,
first through third grade during the
we visited fewer times in 2020 due to COVID. Zoe passed her evaluation in April of 2021. Today I am happy to bring a happy moment in two bundles of joy—two therapy dogs— to all those we meet, wherever we visit.
time the kids were learning from home.
“Pet therapy is a powerful, healing therapy aligned with other alternative therapies.”
– Lynne Robinson, I, Newark, Delaware
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May–June 2022 | THE P.E.O. RECORD
WWW.PEOINTERNATIONAL.ORG
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