Scheduled Visits - Week of August 29th

There are 3 Lend A Paw events scheduled for this week:

MPA - Charity Event

Monday, August 30th, from 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

North Hollywood Rec Center

11430 Chandler Blvd

North Hollywood, CA 91601

This is a fundraiser, hosted by World Kickball Association (WAKA), to support New Leash On Life. Lend A Paw handlers and therapy dogs are needed to man the New Leash On Life information booth and to promote the Lend A Paw program.

Edelman Childrens Court

Wednesday, September 1st @ 10:30 am

201 Centre Plaza Drive

Monterey Park, CA

Imagine spending a day at the Courthouse, waiting to speak with judges and attorneys about your life. Now that's stress!! Please come and add a little comic relief for good kids ranging from ages 5 to 17 years old. It'll put a smile on their faces and yours too!

OakView at University Village

Sunday, September 5th @ 10:00 am

3557 Campus Drive

Thousand Oaks, CA

This is a nursing home facility where the residents look forward to hugs and kisses from their furry friends on the first Sunday of each month.

Richard, Maddock and Dawson

Richard and his two Lend A Paw dogs, Dawson and Maddock.

When Richard Stone retired, he was looking for an opportunity to "give back". So in 2004, he became a New Leash On Life Volunteer. "I have a knack with animals", says Richard. "But I never dreamed I would be working with therapy dogs!"

Maddock was the first dog to become a member of the Lend A Paw program.

In January 2005, NLOL rescued Maddock, a two year old collie mix. "Maddock had been run over by a vehicle and underwent major surgery", states Richard. "North Central Animal Shelter put a lot of money into his surgery and he needed a place to recuperate."He spent many months at NLOL facilities to rebuild his strength and get back on his feet." That's when Richard fell in love with Maddock! "I don't know who was adopted,"he said. "Was it Maddock or me?"

Dawson now enjoys visiting children with autism.

Richard took Maddock into his home and fostered him for a while. They went through the Lend A Paw training together and took the test together. "It's very important that one keeps up with the training on a daily basis," states Richard. Maddock and Richard were the very first Lend A Paw team. But it took them two attempts to pass the test; one of the items on the test consists of leaving your dog with another person for a few minutes and Maddock just couldn't bear to be separated from Richard! Finally, Richard decided to adopt Maddock and on December 21st, 2007, he made it official. They have been visiting people ever since and continue to enjoy it. But Richard didn't stop there. Richard soon began fostering another Lend A Paw dog named Dawson, a Shepherd mix. After falling in love, Richard soon adopted Dawson as well. Richard is proud of his two Lend A Paw dogs! You can see it in his face and hear it in his voice when he talks about them. He has many stories and anecdotes from his numerous visits. At a visit to Kayne Eras School a few weeks ago, a teacher told him that one of the teenagers who was visiting with the dogs was "much more talkative than usual". Richard says he sees people "come out of their shells" all the time. And that is the most rewarding part of this whole experience.

Story and Photos by Nathalie Seguin

Update on Ava - August 12th

Ava, watching her trainer during a "sit, stay" command.

A lot has happened to Ava since being  rescued from the shelter; On July 22nd, 2010, she was evaluated by Sharon Vincuilla the Coordinator for the Lend A Paw program and was taken to K9s Only to begin her training.

She started her stay at K9s Only with a "bath & haircut". She now sports a shorter hair style which makes her look quite sassy! When I visited her, last Saturday, August 7th, she was doing very well with her training. She demonstrated good knowledge of the "sit", "down", and "stay"commands. She was calm and attentive to her trainer but still happy to say "hi" to me! 

Ava now sports a shorter hair style!

Ava is very sweet in nature and loves to get some attention from anyone who passes by. She especially likes "belly rubs"! And as her basic obedience training is almost over, she is ready to move on to a "forever home". Sharon Vincuilla tells me that she has "a very good pending application

What makes a good therapy dog?

A good therapy dog should be "people oriented".

At New Leash On Life, every dog rescued from the shelter is evaluated to determine their temperament and specific needs.

Most dogs will do well in the care of the staff and volunteers at the Ranch, and will go on to become wonderful family pets. But some dogs are destined for more. When a dog shows the right personality traits, it becomes a candidate for the Lend A Paw program.

So we asked Sharon Vincuilla, a Therapy dog Evaluator and the Coordinator for the Lend A Paw program, what qualities are needed to make a good therapy dog.

First and foremost, the dog has to be at least one year old. Then, Sharon evaluates the dog to determine if he/she is "people oriented". Does he/she seeks the company of humans? Does he/she greets everyone around?

A good therapy dog is also comfortable around other dogs as they will often go to visits where other LAP teams participate.

A therapy dog might get his ears pulled and should not respond aggressively

The ideal dog should also have a calm disposition. And finally, he/she should be comfortable with being touched. The LAP teams visit children and individuals with mental health issues or mental retardation. A dog might be subjected to having his/her ears or tail pulled or being brushed roughly. It is important that the therapy dog not respond aggressively to such treatment.

If all those qualities are present the rescued dog will enter a training program at K9s Only to become a therapy dog.

On July 22nd, Ava was evaluated to be a good candidate for the LAP program.

On July 22nd, four NLOL dogs were evaluated: Ava (left), Atom (above), Fargo (top photo) and Nougat. Although they were all adorable and very friendly, only one exhibited the personality traits necessary to become a therapy dog; Ava, a two years old terrier mix/ mixed breed. She left NLOL that day to begin her training at K9s Only.

If you are interested in adopting any of these dogs, please visit NLOL.org. Despite the fact that Ava is training to become a Lend A Paw therapy dog, she is still up for adoption. Adopting an already trained therapy dog can be very rewarding to someone who wishes to rescue a pet and would like to offer support to people in need!


Photos and Story by Nathalie Seguin