Skip to main content

Treats for Cora

Cora had a surprise today from one of her friends that she has been visiting with over the past several weeks.  Yummy peanut butter baked bones!


Challenging day today at Mayo.  We encountered quite a few patients that were far from home and missing loved ones.  Cora provided the needed comfort to one woman who made the 4 hour drive alone that day for her chemo treatment.  A Spanish speaking family had brought along a young girl that was afraid of dogs.  The little bit of the language that I know and Cora's bag of tricks, not only kept her entertained, but also almost erased her fear of dogs.  We met new friends that asked about therapy dog training, wondering if their pets at home could be candidates for such a program.  Cora is such a positive influence with the people we visit with at Mayo.  Anxiety levels seem to melt as the person pets her and makes that special connection that improves stress levels.  They say, that petting an animal boosts the immune system function.  If that be the case, then Cora and I are in the right place, helping people who are fighting for their lives.  Therapy dogs have a place in the medical community, heeling to heal.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Origin of Therapy Dogs

Cora the Therapy Dog I have been wondering for a while now just "who" the person was that initiated the concept of therapy dogs.  Found this article to be quite informative from "Wikipedia" and wanted to share with all of our readers. "During World War II, under combat operations against Japanese forces on the island of New Guinea, Corporal William Wynne came into possession of a young adult Yorkshire Terrier abandoned on the battlefield. He named the female dog Smoky . Smoky accompanied Wynne on numerous combat missions, provided comfort and entertainment for troops, and even assisted the Signal Corps in running a telegraph cable through an underground pipe, completing in minutes what might have been a dangerous, three-day construction job which would have exposed men and equipment to enemy bombers. Smoky's service as a therapy dog began when Corporal Wynne was hospitalized for a jungle disease. As Wynne recovered, Wynne's Army pals br...
Post a Comment
Read more

Happy Valentine's Day

http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d7a41774d7a6b344d6a593d0d0a&blogview=true The link above is a short slideshow with one of my favorite songs, my favorite dog and my heart's work as a Therapy Dog handler. Happy Valentine's Day to Everyone, may the heart of an animal touch you today!
Post a Comment
Read more

Therapy Dog Journey

Question is always the same.  How did you get your dog to become a Therapy Dog.  Answer is never short. I begin telling them that Cora was a rescue, 1 yr of age and a victim of neglect and abuse.  Started out with some home loving, good food and socialization skills.  Then off to the local PetSmart where I met with the trainer.  Julie Eskoff introduced me to the world of dogs like I'd never known.  Several classes under our belts and we applied  to be tested for the AKC Canine Good Citizen test.  After passing that Cora and I were elvaluated for "divine canines" a therapy dog group out of Austin, TX that we hold near to our hearts.  We passed our evaluation after 6 weeks of training at the Austin State Hospital. For the next 2 years Cora and I visited Life Skill classrooms and worked with the most wonderful special needs children.  We were also welcomed at a local Alzhiemers unit weekly. There the residents became young men and women, t...
Post a Comment
Read more