|
ABC's of Irish Wolfhounds Puppy Tales: Find a person in your area for help and information
|
Irish Wolfhound Therapy Dog Work
Therapy Dog work is a win/win/win opportunity. It benefits the people visited by improving their quality of life and emotional well-being, the dogs who do the work get extra attention, and being able to give to others feels good for the handler, too. My first Wolfhound, Ada, adored meeting new people and had pretty good manners, so we worked toward meeting the requirements, passed the test, registered with Therapy Dogs International, Inc. and set to work. Ada was the first, and four of my hounds have subsequently passed their TDI tests. Since I was working from home at the time, our schedule was flexible, and we were able to make visits during the daytime and in the evenings. We visited nursing homes, the rehabilitation unit of the local hospital, inner-city after-school programs, schools and camps for disabled children. Ada was the tallest of the members of our group and, as such, was easily reached by people who were bedridden or in very tall wheelchairs. She was gentle and had a rock-steady temperament and didn't flinch when a gang of noisy elementary students converged on her.  It has to be difficult for older adults to leave their homes and companion
animals. We have met wonderful seniors whose eyes light up when the dogs
would visit, telling stories of their beloved dogs. One gentleman had not
spoken a word in months until he told me how beautiful my dog was. The
facility staff was thrilled, and we learned that he didn't stop talking
after that day.
Irish Wolfhounds are intuitive and sensitive. In general, their calm demeanor and respect for other beings makes them ideal candidates for therapy dog work. The work can be stressful to the hounds, as well. During a regular visit to a class of disabled children that we frequented, Ada began shaking and frothing. Within minutes, one of the students seizured. I mention this not to brag that my hound was a seizure-alert dog but to point out that exposure to illness can take a toll on the dogs emotionally. It is important to be attuned to our animals at all times, but particularly to keep an eye out for signs of stress when we are asking them to do special jobs like this. There are many types of therapy dog work ... visits to facilities, reading programs for kids at local libraries, disaster stress relief, assistance with physical and occupational therapy, etc. Each facility will have its own guidelines that visitors are asked to follow, and each therapy dog organization will have special criteria for membership and participation. Links to a few of the oldest Therapy Dog organizations are below. A search on the internet will provide many more links to local, national and international groups. http://www.tdi-dog.org/ (US and Canada) |
