Therapy Dogs Bring Wagging Tails And Canine Kisses

By Nancy K. Crevier

A visitor who asks no questions, makes no demands, listens quietly, and offers unconditional friendship is all that some patients in care facilities want or need. Those qualifications and the ability to bring a smile to faces of those burdened by sadness or illness are met by therapy pets and their handlers.

David Donigian, and Roseann Reggiano and her niece Theresa Viesto, of Newtown, are all involved in pet therapy. Ms Reggiano and Ms Viesto, and 3-year-old Kiro, a Basenji hound, were certified this past summer by Therapy Dogs International (TDI), through Canine Training and Behavior Services in Newtown, as an extension of the canine obedience classes in which they took part.

Therapy Dogs International is an organization that regulates, tests, and registers therapy dogs and their handlers, in order to qualify them for visiting various institutions. Founded in 1976 in New Jersey, the organization now registers dogs of all breeds and their handlers, in all 50 states and in Canada. In 2010, 24,000 dogs were registered with Therapy Dogs International.

“Kiro has an identity card, ID tag, and a scarf that he wears when he visits, and a list of the places in the area that allow pet visits,” said Ms Reggiano.

“The TDI training,” Ms Reggiano explained, “exposes the dog and the trainer to things like coughing, loud noises, wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and people approaching them excitedly — or the grumpy people.” TDI provides insurance, too, she said, in case of any accidents.

TDI dogs are tested by a TDI certified evaluation. Dogs must be at least 1 year old, and must be healthy. Not all dogs, no matter how friendly, are therapy dog material. They must be congenial with people of all ages, as well as other dogs, and pass basic obedience training.

Ms Reggiano decided to get her dog certified after visiting her mother in a nursing facility, with two of her other dogs.

“People were so excited to see them, I thought, I have to get a dog certified. It is so good for people who don’t have any other visitors,” she said.

Kiro came into her household as a hand-me-down from other relatives. “But I saw the way Kiro was: he sniffs, not licks. He is pliable and will do whatever you want him to do. You can even pull his ears. Anyone can touch him. I thought he’d be perfect,” Ms Reggiano said.

Ms Viesto is certified to visit with Kiro, in case Ms Reggiano is not available. So far, they have visited Masonicare at Newtown (formerly Ashlar of Newtown), and it has been a positive experience for themselves, the dog, and the patients. “The joy on people’s faces got me into this, and Kiro is so good,” she said.

It is important for the handler to be in touch with the dog’s emotions, said Ms Reggiano. After visiting only two or three patients, a dog may feel stressed, or be tired. That needs to be respected.

“You have to judge when it is time to leave,” Ms Reggiano said.

Bella, adopted from Labs4Rescue in May 2010 by Andrea and Matthew Donigian, is a regular visitor to Masonicare at Newtown, where Matthew’s grandmother had been a patient. While not therapy certified, Bella has provided her health certificates to the facility.

David Donigian, who “doggie sits” for Bella while his son and his wife are at work, and his wife, Eve, have volunteered at the Masonicare at Newtown café since retiring from teaching, and has been enjoying walks with his “granddog,” since last year.

“My mother received such wonderful care there, that we wanted to give back,” said Mr Donigian.

The café was one way to do so, but when he saw what a happy-go-lucky and mellow personality Bella had, he approached Sue Sonnati, therapeutic recreational manager at Masonicare, and asked if Bella might visit.

“Bella knows where to go and what to do, the minute we step inside the building,” said Mr Donigian, adding that the dog never showed any fear of the elevators, equipment, or people from day one. “Every person, from therapists on down, loves her. She’s the whole show,” he said.

He is touched by the joy that this simple visit brings to patients, and has seen incredible changes in patients when they visit with Bella.

“She has a fan on the third floor, a lovely guy who hardly speaks. But he invites Bella onto his bed, and he talks to Bella,” Mr Donigian said. This has amazed the nurses, he said, as the patient has barely ever said a word to any of the staff.

“It’s a wonderful thing,” said Mr Donigian, “and it makes me feel good, too.”

All dogs and owners who visit, whether therapy certified or not, must go through an orientation so that they know the regulations at Masonicare at Newtown, said Ms Sonnati.

 “I meet every dog first, to see if they are compatible, and we require proof of up-to-date vaccinations,” she said.

Part Of People’s Lives

Masonicare at Newtown has been inviting pets to visit for many years, Ms Sonnati said. “Dogs are a part of people’s lives, and when they are in here, they miss them. A lot of families bring pets to visit their loved ones,” she said.

 “We definitely see the benefits to pet visits. People are cheerful, and their attentions go right to the dog. We see that it calms patients, and people remain positive following the visits,” said Ms Sonnati.

Ms Sonnati and the staff are sensitive to the fact that not all patients welcome pet therapy, and pets are kept from those rooms.

“She’s very empathetic. I knew she’d be good, but she’s even better than I thought,” said Becky Dvorin of her 4-year-old Labrador mix, Ella. Becoming a TDI-certified dog was really something that was directed by Ella, said Ms Dvorin.

“I knew Ella needed work, and becoming therapy certified seemed a natural progression from her obedience classes. She is so sensitive with people and she likes challenges,” she said. “Ella takes in a lot. The first time we went to Masonicare, we were there for an hour and a half. Ella went home and collapsed, she was so exhausted,” she said.

Ms Dvorin has been tugged toward patients that Ella senses are in great need when visiting Masonicare at Newtown, she said.

“One day, we went in, and Ella heard a woman crying down the hall. She bee-lined to her, and started licking the woman. The woman started laughing,” Ms Dvorin said. It is something she sees frequently with her dog during their weekly visits.

“What you hear a lot of at the nursing home is ‘I had a dog once.’ You start thinking that you could be in that position one day, and think how much it would mean to have a visit like this,” Ms Dvorin said.

Because the black Labrador is more than 80 pounds, she is large enough to be accessible to every patient, whether in a wheelchair, a bed, a chair, or standing. None of the patients has ever been intimidated by her size, said Ms Dvorin.

For the past two years, Mary Simpson and Nina Seturins, co-workers at Mt Pleasant Hospital for Animals, Ms Simpson’s Australian shepherd, Travis, and Ms Seturins’ beagle, Brady, have teamed up to visit Bethel Health Care Center. Brady is also a regular visitor to Maplewood of Newtown and the School for International Studies in Danbury.

What patients get a kick out of, said the women, are the different temperaments of the dogs. Brady is a laid back and calm, smaller dog “who loves people and other dogs,” said Ms Seturins. She decided to have Brady train as a therapy dog after her father, visiting from his assisted living home in New Hampshire — and not a dog lover — wound up with Brady curled up next to him on the couch.

“My dad just sat there, stroking Brady’s head, for maybe two hours. My sister saw it and said, ‘There’s your therapy dog.’”

Ms Seturins and Brady have documented 50 therapy visits since Brady was TDI certified, and this August, received recognition from the American Kennel Club for doing so. “Brady is sensitive to people and senses who wants to hold and hug him, and who just wants to look,” said Ms Seturins.

At Maplewood of Newtown, Brady spends most of the visit in the memory care unit.

“The visits really bring up memories for these people. Everybody has a pet story,” Ms Seturins said. “Some people that I’ve never thought were verbal start talking to me and Brady. One woman usually spoke just gibberish. But she loved seeing the dog and with Brady, she was almost lucid. It’s wonderful. If I could do this fulltime, we would. It makes me feel like I contribute to our community, and it refreshes me. I think Brady loves it, too,” said Ms Seturins.

Travis, on the other hand, is “a full contact dog,” laughed Ms Simpson. “He’s my second therapy dog. I fell in love with doing this with my first dog, Ivan, who was the most mellow dog ever,” she said.

Ivan was trained through the Delta program, which at the time was the only therapy dog-training program in the area. “Once you do it,” said Ms Simpson, “you’re hooked. It surprises me how emotional the visiting can be.”

Ivan has passed away, and at first, Ms Simpson did not recognize Travis as having potential for being a therapy pet, as his personality was so over the top.

“The obedience training came easily to him. Teaching him to contain his energy was probably our challenge. But Travis is the perfect dog for people who want to get licked. He wants to be touched and petted, and when we break out the tricks, people go crazy,” she said.

Part of TDI training encourages tricks as part of therapy interaction, she said. It can be as simple as laying his head on the lap on command, getting on or out of a chair, or more complex, like rolling over, “high-fiving” his owner, or playing dead. Doing tricks, said Ms Simpson, controls the interaction.

Ms Simpson likes the team aspect of visiting Bethel Health Care with Brady and Ms Seturins. “The people there so look forward to our visits. If Travis and I can’t make it one week, I don’t feel like I am breaking any hearts, because I know Brady will be there. But when the dogs are together, people light up. Some even invite the dogs right up on their beds,” said Ms Simpson.

Both women have seen how facilities have become more open toward pet visits recently. “They recognize how much good it does,” said Ms Simpson.

“Follow through 110 percent if you have the feeling your dog could be good at therapy,” recommended Ms Simpson. “But be honest about what your dog is good at, and aim in that direction. Remember, too, and don’t feel badly, that even the best trained dog is not always best for therapy,” she said.

Reading And Other Special Gifts

Steve Berks of Sandy Hook recognizes that his therapy dog, Dascha, a Rottweiler, is more comfortable around children than around nursing facilities and the elderly. So Dascha and Mr Berko take part in a second grade reading class at the International School for Studies in Danbury, twice a month, during the school year.

“There is a theory that kids have no esteem problems reading to dogs, and the teacher has seen definite improvements in the children’s reading skills through these visits,” Mr Berko said. Plus, the children love Dascha’s visits. “She lies down in the middle and the kids roll all over her,” he said.

A large dog with a fierce stereotyped personality, none of the children has ever had qualms about approaching his dog, said Mr Berko.

“Kids don’t hold prejudices toward dogs like big people do,” he said.

Dascha likes to work, so the therapy program has been good for her, said her owner. “When she sees the identity card come out, she knows she is going to work and she is a different personality,” Mr Berko said.

Not only are Dascha’s spirits lifted by the visits, Mr Berko also notices a lift in the spirits of the adults and children who interact with her.

Michaela Brown used to visit Masonicare at Newtown with her aunt and her aunt’s dogs. “I vowed when I had my own dog, that I would go, too,” she said. She recognized in her mixed breed dog, Duncan, now 7 years old, that he would be good at therapy, due to his calm and loving attitude. They were TDI certified four years ago, and have since visited Masonicare at Newtown on and off, as well as St Joseph in Trumbull.

Duncan also has tricks to perform, and when he gives Ms Brown a “high five” it serves a double duty. “Once he is up, I get him to rest his paws on my arm, and this allows people to easily pet him,” she said.

“It is nice to see how happy people are to see Duncan and me. A lot of people had dogs that they had to leave behind when they entered the facility, and they are especially thrilled to see us.

 “If you have the right sort of dog, I recommend it,” said Ms Brown. “It’s a great experience for you, the patients, and your dog.”

For 16 years, Jane Hellman and one of her standard poodles has visited Masonicare at Newtown. Certified in New York by Delta as a handler, Ms Hellman’s first therapy dogs, Maerose and her pup, Sophie, were tested by Delta in Manchester. Both had passed canine obedience classes, as have all of her dogs since.

“My dogs were so wonderful, I wanted to share them,” said Ms Hellman. “Poodles would rather be with people than other dogs. They are very sweet, very giving, and not spooked easily. I think I knew this intuitively, and knew they would suit therapy work,” she said.

Currently, she visits only the Lockwood Lodge memory unit in Newtown with her 6-year-old poodle, Jeanna. Over the years, she has visited the former Ashlar with Bella, as well, now 15-years-old and semiretired.

One of the more emotional experiences for Ms Hellman was when she and Bella used to visit a New Fairfield DATAR group home

“We would visit a young man, a quadriplegic, on request of his family. Bella knew her job was to just lie there with her warm body next to him. He got so much, from so little. It was emotionally challenging for both myself and Bella,” she said.

Like other therapy pet owners, Ms Hellman said it is essential to be aware of a dog’s limits when visiting. “Therapy takes a lot out of dogs. They’re like sponges. They soak up everything,” she said.

What is taken out by therapy pet visits is small, though, agreed all of the pet owners interviewed, in comparison to what is received in return, by both dogs and owners.

“I like to think,” said Ms Hellman, “that my dogs make a little bit of difference in peoples’ lives.”