It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to one of our beloved volunteers.

Last Thursday, Ziko woke up feeling weak. A closer look revealed swelling in his side, which was soon discovered to be internal bleeding. An aggressive form of cancer caused a bleeding tumor and quickly Ziko was in critical condition. Out of love for this special boy, we decided to say goodbye and send him to heaven.

Ziko, a 9 year old German Shepherd was rescued 5 years ago from a situation of neglect. Shy and sweet, he worked hard to be a good boy and to always listen. As his confidence grew, so did his heart, and after 1 year he became a certified Lend A Paw Therapy Dog. Ziko's magnificent size usually invoked a moment of awe (and sometimes fear) in those who saw him. But a longer look revealed a gentle, loving soul, and his calm presence made those around him feel at peace. Being a German Shepherd, a popular breed, many individuals could relate to him. Children often asked if he was a police dog, and elderly folk recalled fond memories of their own shepherds.

Ziko's best quality was his pure selfless love, which he consistently showed to those around him. When the sun shined on Ziko, you could see the heavens in his eyes, and when he got close enough you could feel the love on his breath.  The first kiss from Ziko usually started with a brief feeling of panic as his enormous mouth enclosed on you. But when he got close enough, he lifted up his head and gave two quick licks and you knew that something special just happened. Most dogs give kisses because they are happy or they want something, like food or attention. But when Ziko kissed you, it was only for one purpose: to tell you he loved you.

We feel a great void with the loss of Ziko, but I hope that will someday be filled by memories of who he was and the lessons he taught us. The most important lesson I have learned from Ziko is to never be afraid to tell someone you love them. Even when we are judged and misunderstood, if we are calm and patient, love will shine through in the end.

Story and photos by Sharon Vincuilla and Tom Fox. 

Scheduled Visits - June 2012

Here is a calendar of all Lend A Paw scheduled visits for the month of June 2012. Click on an event to see details about the visit. Choose the event(s) you wish to participate in and contact the Leader of the site to RSVP.

A Rock Star Hit!

Eisntein is a 5 1/2 year old Cavalier King Charles

Donna Beirne is a dedicated volunteer and dog lover. She and her Cavalier King Charles, Audrey,  are regulars at the Jewish Home for the Aging / Grancell Village. And recently, Donna took over as Leader for this site. As if this is not enough, Donna also fosters dogs from the Cavalier Rescue USA. 

One of her foster, Eisntein, a 5 1/2 year old purebred Blenheim color, is a loving dog, full of energy who wants to make friends and explore wherever he goes. He quickly won Donna's heart and her husband became quickly attached. So they decided to adopt him.

Donna states: "I thought he would be great on therapy visits with all that energy and love to give.  I worked on his basic obedience commands and saw he would be a natural for therapy outings.   I finally brought him to the Lend A Paw Certification at the end of April 2012." And of course, Einstein, aka, "Ein" passed with flying colors!

Ein gave kisses to everyone!

Ein’s first visit was to New Horizons, a school and workplace for the developmentally challenged adults. The folks at New Horizons have a lot of energy and love the Lend A Paw teams, especially the new ones! So, naturally, Ein was a Rock Star hit! Donna says: " Ein was having fun greeting so many new friends,  granting requests to have his photo taken with all and gave kisses to everyone who came by for some puppy love. Everyone wanted to get his or her picture taken with Ein and we tried to accommodate everybody."

When asked about her other therapy dog, Audrey, and whether she will continue to take her for visits, Donna tells me that: "She will continue her therapy dog visits too.  Audrey has a bit of a lower energy level and tires more easily than Ein and is definitely more selective on handing out doggie kisses.  She still loves going to her regular twice-monthly visits at Jewish Home for the Aging at Grancell Village and is always excited to see her red vest come out.  I would love to see both of them go out on a visit together sometime.  Maybe after Ein gets more visits under his vest, he can go out with another LAP handler and I can take Audrey on the same visit. "

Everyone wanted their picture taken with Ein!

That sounds like a great plan! Thank you Donna for your wonderful work!

Story by Nathalie Seguin, photos courtesy of Donna Beirne.

Another "practice" for Roxie

Last November, we wrote a story about Roxie, a beautiful Golden Retriever who is being raised to become a therapy dog. Roxie will turn 1 year old on May 21st and Sharon Newman, her owner and handler, states that she is growing and maturing beautifully and that her training is progressing well. She hopes that Roxie will pass her Lend A Paw Certification in July. But in the meantime, she tries to expose Roxie to as many people and situations as possible. Here is her account of a wonderful encounter:  

Today we were walking our usual route through my neighborhood and, once again, came upon a resident of the Headway House, a residence for adults with brain traumas. A gentleman was sitting outside in his wheelchair waiting for the arrival of the Access Paratransit van to give him a ride. We stopped to visit with him. The man, who introduced himself as Kim, immediately reached out to pet Roxie. She greeted him calmly but with enthusiasm. Kim's face lit up as he petted her and he became very talkative. It was very evident from his reaction how much joy and comfort our dogs bring to people. Kim was sitting and staring off at nothing, tuned out to the world around him. The moment Roxie approached him, his world came alive again. It's what we've all witnessed and why we continue to volunteer as therapy dog handlers.

Photo and Story by Sharon Newman

Scheduled Visits - May 2012

Here is a calendar of all Lend A Paw scheduled visits for the month of May 2012. Click on an event to see details about the visit. Choose the event(s) you wish to participate in and contact the Leader of the site to RSVP.

Chai Lifeline & LAP Join Efforts

             Since 1987, Chai Lifeline's mission has been to restore the light of childhood to children whose innocence ended when life-threatening or lifelong illness was diagnosed.
Through programs that address the emotional, social, and financial needs of seriously ill children, their families, and communities, Chai Lifeline restores normalcy to family life, and better enables families to withstand the crises and challenges of serious pediatric illness.

Earlier this year, Chai Lifeline contacted Lend A Paw to propose a new program to help these children receive some much needed love and affection from our volunteer handlers and dogs.

Upon commencement of the program, we had an astounding response from our volunteers in their desire get involved, and many are already assigned to visit children on a weekly or monthly schedule.

This program has a great impact on the children. When we as humans interact with a person who is seriously ill or challenged in some way, we often cannot help but be reserved or unsure due to our preconceived notions, lack of knowledge of the illness, or fear of the unknown. When dogs interact with these special populations, they show no judgement and treat the children no differently than their best friend. These children need a sense of security and a chance to be treated the same as everybody else.

One of Lend A Paw's volunteer teams, Jody and her Golden Retriever Ziggy, began visiting with Chai Lifeline earlier this year. They were paired with Ari, a five year old boy diagnosed with Leukemia. Jody guided Ari as they took Ziggy for a long walk. Jody remarked that Ari "is the sweetest boy ever and was so happy to see Ziggy. Ziggy, Ari and I went on a long walk...We talked a lot and laughed a lot. He is a very special kid."

Lend A Paw volunteers and Chai Lifeline children look forward to many more visits together down the road. If you are interested in getting involved with Lend A Paw with your own dog, please contact Sharon@k9sonly.com.

Written by LAP Director, Sharon Vincuilla

Lend A Paw to attend Walk Now for Autism Speaks

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors. They include autistic disorder, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger syndrome. ASD can be associated with intellectual disability, difficulties in motor coordination and attention and physical health issues such as sleep and gastrointestinal disturbances. Some persons with ASD excel in visual skills, music, math and art. Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disorder in the U.S. Every 11 minutes, another family receives the devastating news that their child has an autism spectrum disorder.

 How can Lend A Paw help?

Gabi, center, shares a hug with these two boys at Kayne Eras.

More research is still needed, but studies are showing that interaction with animals, and Therapy Dogs specifically, has many therapeutic qualities for children with ASD. Through our work with students at ECF Kayne Eras School we have experienced that the Lend A Paw dogs help these children by facilitating social interaction, calming and developing focus , increasing verbal skills, and raising self-confidence.  In order to support efforts to raise funds for ASD research, as well as to increase awareness of the positive therapeutic impact that interaction with animals can have on children with ASD, Lend A Paw volunteers will be manning a booth at the upcoming Walk Now for Autsim Speaks. The 5K walk and fair will be held on Saturday, April 21st at the Rosebowl in Pasadena. For more information, visit www.walknowforautismspeaks.org

Please come out and support the cause, or stop by the Lend A Paw booth for more information about our program. If you are interested in joining Lend A Paw with your own dog, please email Sharon@k9sonly.com.