On Wednesday, January 26th, 7 dog/handler teams from our Lend A Paw Program went to Culver City to visit the students of the
ECF Kayne Eras Center; Jessica, Jane and their dog Caspy, Lisa and Ash, Jennifer and Lucy, Audrey and Calli, Terry and Belle, Jim and Daisy, and Susan and Dex, all dedicated their time to bring joy to many students ranging in age from 5 to 22 years old.
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| Belle shared a little dance with this young lady under the supervision of handler, Terry. |
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| When this young men asked for a kiss, Calli was very happy to oblige! |
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| Everyone loved Ash! One student nicknamed him "the big teddy bear". |
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| Daisy made this young boy smile when she started licking his hand while held by her handler, Jim. |
Our Lend A Paw volunteers met with the students, introduced their dogs and answered many questions. The dogs provided an outlet for social interactions and stimulation. Some of the students were interested in learning about dog care while others were just happy to pet the animals.
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| Susan and Dex have visited the school before and this young student recognized them immediately. Here he is getting ready to take Dex for a walk. |
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| Making a child smile is what Caspy does best. And he gets rewarded by a kiss from his handler, Jane. |
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| Lucy was in heaven, getting lots of attention and even some belly rubs! |
There were so many joyous moments; like a boy who buried his face into Ash's fur and kept saying that he is sooo soft; or the group of elementary school children sitting in a circle calling Dex onto their laps to give him big hugs; and even the teenagers who excitedly learned how to ask Lucy to "shake". Whatever the student's challenges and difficulties are, the therapy dogs were certainly able to make them forget about them for a little while. And that's what the Lend A Paw program is all about!
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