Tag: Pet Therapy

Info on pet therapy and how it helps patients

Medicine and Inspiration

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 6 Comments
Good boy!
Good boy!

Seems to me that medicine can be delivered in a couple a ways. Of course, there’s the traditional way through IV’s and meds administered by staff and then there’s the 4-legged love-meds that pet therapy animals deliver through a nudge on a patient’s hand or by a wagging tail. I’m kind of partial to the 4-legged version. I’ve seen it work wonders.   Like the patient we recently visited whose blood pressure was taken and it was sky high.  The patient smiled weakly and called Sam over to him.  Now Sam handles being around medical equipment with very little difficulty but I’m always kind of nervous that he might step on a tube or pull out a line and this guy was pretty wired up. Sam edged his way over to him and sat in front of the guy’s legs. After the first reading, the nurse said “hmm, let’s try it on the other arm and see what we get.” It took her a minute or so to maneuver around to his other side.  Meanwhile the patient is massaging Sam’s ears and Sam is of course soaking up the attention and he lays his head against the man’s thigh (this is the only “trick” this goofy dog will do).

By the time the nurse got around to the other side and took another reading, the pressure was nearly normal!  She was a little surprised at the big difference but the patient just smiled and said (as he pointed to Sam), this is the reason it’s better.  Dogs are miracle workers.  We talked about the incredible ability of dogs as they help patients keep their vitals more normal and the peace these amazing creatures provide patients. The couple recalled stories about their own dogs that had meant so much to them throughout their lives and how grateful they were to have had a dose of that magic 4-legged medicine that day.

I’ve seen that 4-legged love inspire people in other situations, too. Like my friend Sara (who maintains quite the work out regimen) recently told me, she finds Frances, the ‘gym mascot’ there to give her just enough inspiration to put in those last tough reps. She’s told me there are times she’d like to quit but a gentle flick of her tongue or those adoring sweet brown eyes and a wagging tail always gets her to dig down deep and finish her set.  It makes her feel accomplished and inspired.  How can you beat that?

Whenever we end a shift, I know we have made a difference in the health of patients and their families, just like with this guy and his wife. Too often we take animals for granted, but the bond between patients and dogs is irrefutable and continues to amaze me especially when I see results like that.

So what if you’re a rotten hound some days (like when you snitch a piece of cheese off the table or roust through the garbage)…you made a patient and his wife manage to feel a little bit better and that’s what this is all about. ❤️

To all the Frances’ and Sam’s…way to go!

Doctors vs. Nurses

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ Leave a comment

Is it just me or are most doctors too busy or too important to be friendly toward volunteers? Nurses and staff often times come running down the hallway just to say hi and catch a snuggle from Sam.  I have yet to see a doctor make eye contact let alone say hello or smile with the single exception of one doctor who also owns a Standard Poodle. And she thinks Sam is a bit on the chubby side because you can’t see bones sticking out (but that’s a post for another day rant). What IS it about professionals? I mean I know doctors are busy saving lives, being heroes and all, but would it hurt a brother to crack a smile? I may just be a volunteer but sheesh, really?

It kind of reminds me of my day job at a large law firm. Our lawyers are really busy advocating for their clients.  They need to be because time is money in a large firm.  They do however tend to look right through the staff like they had X-Ray vision. If a fellow colleague walks by though, they sashay up and start chewing the fat like they’re long lost BFF’s. Granted, I didn’t go to law or medical school but is the common courtesy of a simple smile too much to ask?

Still this weekend when we are visiting patients around hospital and hospice, Sam and I will still happily walk around smiling & saying hello to everyone we see-patients, aloof doctors, adoring nurses and all the other staff. We <3 them all…even the ones that look right past us. Lawyers on the other hand…well, I mean it’s not like they’re saving lives now, are they? 😄

How we got started

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 6 Comments

I had wanted to get involved with pet therapy for a long time but worried that Sam just wouldn’t have the necessary ‘chops’ to do it. He was after all…well let’s just say…a little excitable and unfocused. Don’t get me wrong, he really is a sweetheart but he just can’t stay focused for any amount of time. It’s always, “ooh, a stroller…no wait, a butterfly!…ah, a nice shiny object…and on and on in the span of a couple nano seconds. What’s an upright supposed to do? Go find a trainer, that’s what you do.

And boy did I find a great one. We enrolled in a basic obedience class and I confess, when I read the syllabus (oh yeah, there was even a syllabus) I figured this guy had to be good.  He was patient, kind and extremely knowledgeable and had an amazing record with really challenging dogs. He too thought Sam would be terrific with pet therapy saying ‘you can always train a dog to do something but you just can’t buy that kind of sweetness.’ I had a few doubts because nothing so far had made much of a difference in this wild child/pogo stick of a dog even though he was years past puppy-hood. Oh sure, he was adorably sweet, but just couldn’t seem to help himself whenever he saw anyone he recognized and that was everyone.  He’d pull and pull and do everything possible to get to them, no matter who they were. We diligently went to all the classes, practiced every day and then test day arrived. I was nervous as hell, since the session before had been such a disaster. I had even thrown my hands up and shouted, “Habla Español because you sure as &#@% don’t seem to understand English, dude!”  And while that cracked up the trainer, it did nothing to alleviate my fears that I had a retarded, un-trainable dog.  But I’m here to tell you miracles do happen and not just to hockey teams. Not only did he pass, my little rock start actually excelled over all the other dogs. Color me proud. With a new sense of confidence, I enrolled in the AKC Canine Good Citizen class figuring Sam could use as much training as possible and it might look good on the resume if we were accepted into a pet therapy program. He did everything quite well until week 4 when we were told in order to ‘graduate,’ the dog would have to perform a trick, any trick, it didn’t matter. Egad, are you kidding me?! This dog doesn’t get fetching balls for crying out loud. He just looks at you and has this “hmm, why did you throw that over there” look on his face and usually just lays down. Oh crap, I began to think I was totally screwed. I mean, he won’t even shake paws.  But then something clicked in my mind and I knew I’d have to work with what I had. Sam will lay his head in your lap or on your knee and just be sweet and adorable with his tail wagging furiously while looking up at you with those sweet amber eyes.  If I could just figure out a way to teach him to associate that behavior with the command ‘snuggle” well maybe, just maybe, we might pass. After two weeks of gobs of practice, lo and behold he was doing it! Actually.doing.it. Who was this dog and what happened to that dim-witted goof-ball I knew and loved? We passed with flying colors and lots of aw’s from the class, received the Canine Good Citizen designation and then began the process of finding a program where he could make sick people feel just a little better for a few minutes.

Fortunately there’s a hospital near the ‘ranch’ and we went through the process of applying to their program (and it’s quite a process at that) and after a few months we joined the team of just over 50 dogs. While initially it was not my intention to do hospice care, Sam (yeah that goofy/ADD Sam) was a complete rock star at hospice! Who’d have thought? The patients and staff just love him. He is extremely patient and allows anyone to pet him. He’s super calm with both young and old and he can’t seem to get enough of them. Funny thing too, he knows exactly when we’re going to the hospital. As soon as I pull down his official bandana, he starts pogo-sticking around the house. Woo-hoo! And he’s super excited as soon as we arrive in the parking lot but has that “I’m ready to go to work” strut once he gets out of the car. Who’d have thought this attention-deficit fur baby could be so great at putting smiles on people’s faces?

Have you had success with a dog trainer? Was it worth it for you?  Hey, if Sam can do it…well any dog can do it.
🐾

Hospice and humanity

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 16 Comments

Sam and I did hospice over the weekend and I came away with a gnawing and unsettled feeling in my gut.  Not the sadness of someone making peace with death but something more than that.  With the kinds of technology we use all the time, I wondered, have we lost a bit of our humanity through the sphere of anonymous modern day life?

We are given a rare opportunity to visit with patients and we probably do a whole lot more people watching than even we realize.  The more visits I make, the more I really observe people and this weekend was no exception.  We met all kinds, the sick and well, from all walks of life and experience and this Saturday was no exception. Observing them provides a window into their world.

While making rounds, I came across a patient who was conscious and chatting with visitors in his room.  That’s somewhat rare since most hospice patients are barely awake. I asked if they’d like a visit with Pet Therapy and both he and his wife enthusiastically said, “Oh yes, definitely–we love dogs!”  They introduced me to their daughter and granddaughter who were in a  corner.  We made with the pleasantries of greeting and they commented on how handsome Sam was and how glad they were to see him.  Then a few moments later, the daughter and granddaughter resumed whatever they were previously doing on their cell phones.  O-kay, I thought.  I know we’ve all seen people in restaurants texting to each other or to mutual friends and while kind of pathetic, it’s just not surprising anymore.  Yet, when someone is in hospice, they don’t have a whole lot of time left.  Their time is short, it’s precious and you’d think visitors (especially family members) would be more inclined to actually spend it visiting rather than being plugged in to some mobile device.  The patient and his wife were insistent that we come in and told stories about dogs they’d owned, or knew…you know, the usual small talk.  They were warm and gracious, the kind of people you admire for being genuine, humble, down to earth and Sam was particularly drawn to the wife.  Whenever we visit patients, I know this goof-ball dog will first go to the person who needs him the most.  He has a knack for sorting out people’s energy.  He’ll visit with them all eventually, but he always goes to the one who needs him the most…first.  He hardly sniffed at the two feverishly typing away on their cell phones.  He instinctively knew they were totally disengaged; it just took me a while to realize that.  I kept thinking surely they’ll make some comment or recall a happier shared time.  But they didn’t.  Sam couldn’t get enough of the wife though.  His tail wagged furiously and he tossed his head proudly.  We laughed because his tail looks like a Swiffer wand dusting away.  The same vigorous tail wagging was shown with the patient as Sam got close enough to get petted by him.  He smiled and spoke softly to Sam who watched him intently, hanging on to his every word.  They both commented on how soulful his eyes were, yet the daughter and granddaughter were MIA in the moment and never so much as looked up.  It mattered not to Sam, he completely believed everything the patient said.  But here was a man whose family didn’t take into account he would soon not be with them.  I felt so badly for him and his wife.  Maybe they were used to it, just like I’m used to seeing people texting at restaurants over a meal.  I certainly didn’t have any insight into the family’s dynamics, but it seemed as though this is somehow accepted as normal human response.  How could we let this happen and is there anything we can do to stem this cavalier approach to being human.  When I saw the patient getting tired, we bid our goodbyes but as I walked back down the hallway toward the nurses station, I couldn’t shake those feelings of loss–the loss of our humanness toward one another in general.  It especially made me realize the importance of solid eye contact, the power of physical touch in a handshake or hug, of making the people we visit the only thing in the world that matters for as long as they want to share their time with us.  I was melancholy by the inescapable lack of being as in some people not being truly involved when a patient or other loved one probably needs it the most.  Do humans have a duty to really be there in the moment…at the end?

The pet therapist’s job is to provide a measure of comfort and peace.  We all know what a difference it makes for the sick to receive a visit from these special creatures, how a few moments can reduce blood pressure, and perhaps even speed up the healing process and a patient’s ability to feel better even for just a few minutes.  Certainly if I’ve learned anything, it’s that we all need to treat one another better, especially when we’re sick or dying.  To be loved, to be genuine and engaged, especially at the end when we don’t know what’s on the other side.  We need to keep our humanity intact and not let a text or email interfere with those connections.

So be nice to each other, ok?  Stay engaged and be there when someone needs that comfort.  We will all need it at some point, especially in the end.   In the meantime, don’t you want to stay in practice? <3

Hugs,
Monika & Sam

 

Ok, now what?

~ Tails Around the Ranch ~ 3 Comments

When you give birth to a baby, you go through all kinds of hell with excruciating labor pains etc. and creating this blog has been pretty much like that.  I’m totally tuckered out to the point my brain hurts to even think about creating clever posts.  While I was setting up hyperventilating over the details relating to the blog, I had tons of ideas on what I thought would be fantastic posts.  Now that we’re out of the delivery room so to speak…I got bupkus. I mean where in the bloody blue blazes did all those great ideas and stories go?

Maybe hypnosis can get this baby back on track? For now I’m sleep deprived and brain dead just like any new mom. I sure hope that numskull dog does something adorable, inspirational or funny or this will be the shortest lived blog in history.   Fingers crossed that some sleep and/or alcohol will rejuvenate the creative process. Till then what do you want to talk about?  Anybody…somebody?

Hugs,

🐾