Meet Kismet, a Dentist’s Toothless Therapy Dog
Therapy pets can have a powerful impact on dental patients, especially if those patients have anxiety.
“The studies are very clear: People who sit and pet animals have lower blood pressure, and that’s what it’s all about,” Dr. Cameron Garrett told TODAY when the world found out about Kismet. Garret’s dental practice employs the adorable 13-year-old Chihuahua rescue as a therapy animal that patients can hold and pet while they get dental work done. Kismet’s life has not been easy. The Muttville Senior Dog Rescue has invested thousands of dollars into Kismet’s health — they diagnosed her with heart disease, removed a cancerous tumor, treated a hernia, and removed all of her teeth due to periodontal disease. Yet, Kismet remains a very sweet dog. She never barks and loves back scratches and being held. It’s especially amazing that the toothless Kismet found such a perfect new home with dental professionals! This past July, Cameron Garrett and his wife, Debra Garrett (a hygienist), adopted Kismet into their home as well as their dental practice. The serene dog has provided a special experience for patients who come for exams, cleanings, and even root canals. Of course, some patients are scared of dogs. In those cases, Kismet relaxes behind a closed gate. But over 98% of patients happily take Kismet on their laps while they undergo their dental procedure.
Cameron Garrett told CNN, “Quite honestly, as a dentist, I’m as much a psychiatrist or psychologist as anything else. Kismet has allowed us to have another tool in our toolbox.” They can even use the toothless pup’s story to teach patients about the effects of periodontal disease. Getting love from patients also helps Kismet. “She just wants to be with us,” Debra Garrett explained. The new owners suspect that she was abused in the past and is still recovering from that trauma. “When she is on a patient’s lap, she’s providing them comfort, but she’s also getting comfort. It’s hard for me to describe how nice it is for me to be looking at her while I’m working. It’s just a win-win all the way around.”
Our hearts are officially melted. It’s only fitting for a pet hero to have heroic owners, too!
Creating the Perfect Snowball Fight
4. Cut between the two knots to snip off a tied-off snowball. Repeat these steps until you have at least a few dozen, but if you’re patient enough to make 100 or more, you’ll have ample supply for a substantial encounter. How to Play There’s really no “right” way to have a snowball fight. It’s often just about who can hit whom the most, but if you want to turn it into a measurable competition, divide your group into two teams and WITH NO SNOW AT ALL
n old-fashioned snowball fight is the epitome of winter activities. But if snowfall is lacking or it’s just too cold to venture outside and hurl freezing balls of ice at each other, don’t let it dampen your spirits. You can create and orchestrate your own indoor, snow-free, and entirely safe snowball fight.
Make Your Snowballs While craft stores sell large white cotton puffs that look like snowballs, they’re too light to get any good velocity behind them. Instead, make your own “snowballs” with just a few materials in four easy steps:
distribute the snowballs evenly between them. Then create boundaries for each team by laying down masking tape across the room. Teams must stay on their side of the line at all times. Set a timer for however long you’d like the fight to go on, and at your signal, teams can start hurling snowballs across the room at one another. When time is up, gather and count the snowballs on each side, and the team with the fewest snowballs is the winner! A crafty indoor snowball fight can be a lot of fun for people of all ages, not just kids. Best of all, the crafting part is something you only have to do once, and then you have a stock of snowballs for every winter to come.
1. You’ll need a pair of scissors, several pairs of cheap white nylon stockings (one pair can make about 10 snowballs) and a bag of polyester fiberfill, like Poly-Fil, or use the stuffing from a few old stuffed animals you no longer want.
2. Stuff a handful of the filling down into the end of one stocking leg and tie a knot, creating a round “snowball.”
3. Make another knot after the one you just
made, leaving a little space between the two knots.
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