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| Therapy Dogs - Koko's Healing Touch |
| by Stephanie Brand |
"Does anyone want to have a Koko race?!" That question elicits squeals of glee from the pre-schoolers that Koko and I visit each week.
For most of her 11 years, my Australian Shepherd, Koko, has been a Therapy Dog International, Inc. certified therapy dog and she has loved every minute that she spends with the children we visit. For the last six years she has spent Friday mornings at the Kramer Learning Center in Bay Shore, N.Y., a school for pre-schoolers who have autism and other learning disabilities. In some classrooms the children are severely impaired-some have no spoken language at all-while in others their disabilities are so minute that they are sometimes hard for a non-educator to spot, but kids love dogs and Koko loves kids. It never fails to impress and amaze me how she seems to know intuitively what each child needs. In the 9 years we've been a therapy team, "Koko" or "dog" has been the first word spoken for more than a handful of these children.
Let me share with you a Koko visit to a class. When we come in, the children are sitting in tiny chairs around a brightly colored area rug. Teachers and aides sit behind the children, especially if they need help sitting still and focusing. Koko and I sit on the floor. Sometimes a teacher sits with us to help the children interact with Koko. The kids all say "good morning" to Koko and there can be cheers from the teachers and teachers' aides if all the children are able to say those simple words.
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Since I've spent some time teaching each class safety around dogs, all the kids need is a reminder to let Koko smell the backs of their hands before they pet her and one at a time, each gets to pet her on her back. We may take a few minutes to brush her with a rubber tipped brush or listen to her heart with the stethoscope that's in her travel bag but, generally the kids want to use the time that we are there to play a couple of games.
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Koko always brings her bean bags-she loves to retrieve them. Depending on how advanced the class is most children can follow when I ask them to find a particular color or shape bean bag to throw for her. Sometimes I'll name a color and they'll tell me the shape. The kids all are sure that Koko "knows" her colors and shapes as well as they do! She certainly finds the bean bags when I ask her to "take yellow" or "find the rectangle" that a child has thrown.
Amazingly, Koko "knows" her numbers, too! When we have Koko races, the children will take turns standing next to Koko (an easy concept for some, very hard for others) and on either a "ready, set, go" command; a count of "1-2-3-go"; or the count of a number of the child's choice (followed by the word "go"), Koko and the child race to the end of the room and see who is first to get a cookie. Since Koko's always on leash for these races, it's just amazing how frequently the kids win! Of course, what Koko really knows is to sit still until she hears the word "go," but don't tell that to her friends at Kramer!
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Before we leave, all the kids always want "Koko stamps." I have a rubber stamp of an Australian Shepherd that looks a lot like Koko, and a stamp pad with non-toxic washable ink. Each child gets a reminder of their Koko visit by having a "Koko stamp" put on his or her hand. Then, finally, it's time for us to leave and go onto another classroom.
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Therapy work gives a dog a "job" to do and most dogs just love the attention they get as therapy dogs. Each therapy organization has its own process for joining. The best require that the dog's temperament be evaluated, certify the dog and handler as a therapy team and provide insurance for the work that is done by the therapy team. For example, to belong to Therapy Dogs International, Inc., all dogs must be tested and evaluated by a Certified TDI Evaluator. A dog must be a minimum of one (1) year of age and have a sound temperament. Each dog must pass the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen Test (CGC), and a temperament evaluation for suitability to become a Therapy Dog. The test also includes an evaluation of the dog's behavior around people who use various types of service equipment such as wheelchairs, cane, walker or crutches. The full details of TDI's test requirements can be found at this link: http://www.tdi-dog.org/tditesting.html. In addition, each dog must have a yearly veterinary examination. Of course, other organizations have other testing requirements.
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Consider training your own purebred, adopted or rescue dog, getting certified, and becoming a special presence in the lives of others.
While you are thinking about therapy work, come and visit us at Kramer. We'd love to see you!
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