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.

Scheduled Visits - April 2012

Here is a calendar of all Lend A Paw scheduled visits for the month of April 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.

Cali's 3rd Birthday Celebration at New Horizons

Cali celebrated her 3rd birthday at New Horizons!

The New Horizons monthly lunchtime visit on March 14, 2012 got a huge turnout of seven Lend A Paw teams: Calli and Audrey, Ash and Lisa, Buckwheat and Lori, Wilson and Kenneth, Chloe and Judy, Cali and Me (Lydia), and Daisy and Jim. The New Horizons students were excited to celebrate Cali's 3rd birthday! 

Lisa, the Lend A Paw site leader for New Horizons, provided birthday party hats, candy (a HUGE draw), and decorative bead necklaces. Lisa also handed out St. Patrick's Day photo cards featuring many of the Lend A Paw therapy dogs. Lisa and Ash know how to work the crowd and please the students! 

Everyone signed the giant birthday card...

I made a giant birthday card featuring numerous cute doggie stickers and Cali's photo, and Lisa oversaw students signing the card. I also handed out Cali's new business card that features photos and information about Cali and Lend A Paw. 

At the visit, Wilson and Buckwheat displayed their prowess at backing up on command, Ash showed off his super cool style by wearing a birthday hat and humorous birthday sunglasses, many of the students enjoyed a face washing "Calli style" as her handler Audrey exclaimed, "she's a great kisser," and Daisy danced for treats by standing on her hind legs and spinning. Many of the students were excited to pose for photos with birthday girl, Cali, and Judy shared her fluffy white doggie, Chloe, who is, "always up for a party and enjoyed the festivities as well." 

Ash showed off his super cool style...

Audrey and Calli enjoyed the festivities!

Happy and proud Lydia with birthday girl Cali!

More highlights included: The lady in the wheelchair and the young man in the party hat who couldn't get enough of Cali's big, wet sloppy kisses; Buckwheat and Wilson comparing therapy dog patches on their vests (Cali is jealous and wants a patch too!) and hugs for the handlers from a few of the sweetest big "kids" you will ever meet! 

Story and photos by Lydia Marcus

Scheduled Visits - March 2012

Here is a calendar of all Lend A Paw scheduled visits for the month of March 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.