Love for Lend A Paw's Dogs

Through our work, we touch the lives of many individuals who will be forever grateful for our smiles, our listening ears, and our dog's wet nose kisses and furry hugs. For whatever reason we each began this work, we all come to realize that it brings us so much more than we could have ever imagined. For me, Animal-Assisted Activities was initially a way to spend quality time with my dog. Over the years I have realized that it has helped me, a formerly painfully shy individual, to become more confident in communicating with people. In wanting to share my happy loving dog with others who were less fortunate, I entered into a partnership with my dog that has changed my own life. I could not do this work without Gabi, my partner, who brings confidence to me, and brings joy to many others.

In starting a new year with Lend A Paw, I want to take a moment to honor some Lend A Paw dogs, who have changed their partner's lives, and have touched many more. We thank you for your wet nose kisses, and your unconditional love. And we send love and comfort to the partners you left behind. May they find peace in knowing that they will not be the only people who miss you.

Archie, a newly certified Lend A Paw volunteer, passed away tragically just one week ago. Archie was not with our program long, but he brought more smiles to the people he met than most people can do in one lifetime. Wonderfully enthusiastic about life, Archie was born to be a therapy dog, and his owners could not wait to get him certified so they could start visiting. We thank you Archie for bringing love and comfort to those in need. We wish your family love and comfort during this difficult time.

Lily Rose, one of our first Lend A Paw volunteers, passed away in March, 2011. She was certified with the program for two years, and was the most special dog her mom, Donna, ever had. Lily used to visit the Jewish Home for the Aging, and delighted all the residents with her big smile and her calm demeanor. Lily's favorite visits were the ones in which she rode in her stroller and dressed in a fancy outfit. She loved to sit on the residents laps and listen to all they had to say while getting a nice ear rub. Thank you, Lily. We miss you.

Hopi, a happy Viszla with lots of love to give, passed away in December, 2011 after a long battle with cancer. Hopi's parents were long time supporters of New Leash On Life, and in 2010, they wanted to give back even more and joined the Lend A Paw program. Hopi loved everyone he met, and brought smiles to their faces that were almost as big as his own. Thank you, Hopi. We miss you.











Written by Sharon Vincuilla, Lend A Paw Director

Scheduled Visits - February 2012

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

LAP Coloring Contest

The coloring page designed by Isabella Koelman.

At New Horizons, in North Hills, the clients love the LAP Teams and get very excited to meet the volunteers and their dogs. Servicing adults with developmental disabilities, New Horizons offers a Day Training Activity Center program which focuses on the reinforcement and development of skills and experiences designed to fulfill each client's potential. The program provides training in functional living skills, opportunities to explore creative self expression, and community visits to participate in recreational, educational, cultural, and volunteer activities. Arts and Craft is one of the on-campus programs offered, and when our Lend A Paw site leader, Lisa Erving, organized a coloring contest, the teachers loved the idea and turned it into the class project of the week.

Lisa requested a custom coloring page from Isabella Koelman, an artist who specializes in paintings and drawings of pets. Lisa sent her photos of the Lend A Paw Therapy Teams, and Isabella designed a festive coloring page that included Callie, Ash, Gabi, Lexee, Daisy and Audrey, the dogs that regularly visited New Horizons at the time.

Angela submitted this beautiful picture!

Lisa & Ash, and Donna and her dog Audrey, distributed the coloring pages. Entry information and directions were written on the back. "The clients really enjoyed it," says Lisa. "They like talking about how different all the dogs are." Over 70 coloring pages were turned in! Lisa also left some blank pages with the teachers and every once in a while, another one gets turned in.

Lisa asked Isabella Koelman to be the judge and to pick a winner. However, Mrs. Koelman couldn't chose only one. "She said she loved them all," reports Lisa, "so everyone was a winner!" At their next visit, she handed out goody bags which contained a handful of candies, stickers, copies of cartoons, and a little plastic medal that says "winner." Lisa even saved some of the bags to handout to the ones that were turned in late!

This was Julian's entry!

This was such a successful event that the teachers and staff at New Horizons asked Lisa to organize another one soon!

To see more beautifully colored images, visit the New Horizons coloring contest gallery.

Story by Nathalie Seguin and Lisa Erving.

Lend A Paw Starts the New Year at OakView

This was Chris and Mason's first visit as site leader!

On January 1st, 2012, two Lend A Paw teams started off the New Year by visiting  OakView at University Village. Christine and Mason, the new leaders of this site, and Lisa and Ash went there to spread a little cheer and bring a lot of joy to the residents and staff of this beautiful facility.
Located in Thousand Oaks, across the street from California Lutheran University, OakView offers multiple levels of care; from Assisted Living, to Skilled Nursing, everyone has a place at OakView. They even have a specialized environment for residents with Alzheimer's.

Ash's soft and beautiful coat was the talk of the day!

The Lend A Paw program visits OakView at University Village every first Sunday of each month and each team is greeted with big smiles and enthusiasm. Many residents love petting the dogs and talking to the volunteers. Some of them will remember an old pet and will share some wonderful stories about their dog.
Mason was particularly popular with a husband and wife who used to own a Great Dane. The husband quickly stopped, took his wallet out of his pocket and pulled out an old photograph of their dog, laying on the sofa, to show Chris.
Other residents commented on how soft and beautiful Ash's long coat is and inquired about grooming and how long it takes Lisa to brush him.
Many residents asked about the Lend A Paw program and about other dogs in the program. Everyone enjoyed the visit and said they will be looking forward to the next Lend A Paw visit.
This was Chris and Mason's first visit as site leaders and they are hoping that many more volunteer/dog teams join them for next month's visit!

Scheduled Visits - January 2012

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

Happy Holidays from Lend A Paw

This holiday season was filled with more joy than usual, for some less fortunate individuals, thanks to our self-less Lend A Paw volunteers. More than 15 volunteer teams spent their time both before and on Christmas Day visiting with the mentally challenged, elderly, and homeless. These visits brought laughter and joy to those people who enjoyed every second they spent with our furry four-legged and smiling two-legged volunteers.

New Horizons Visit: Wednesday, December 21st

Audrey & Cali and Chellee & Lexi enjoyed spreading holiday cheer!

 LA Mission Holiday Block Party: Friday, December 23rd

Ash had a great time snuggling with all the kids who were waiting to see Santa.

We had 8 teams total for this visit.
Richard & Maddock, Jackee & Larceny,
and Jennifer & Lucy are pictured.

Our teams spent time with the children while they
waited to get their holiday meal.
Some families had been waiting since 6am!  

Gabi loved taking pictures with these children,
who weren't used to seeing a dog so well behaved.

The Gardens in Tarzana: Sunday, December 25th

Bailey, dressed as Santa, made sure to listen to everyone's wish list while he visited this past weekend. These folks were overjoyed to hear that Bailey thought they had all been very good this year.

We hope you enjoyed these photos from our visits, and that you have a wonderful end to 2011 and a bright new beginning for 2012!

LAP Volunteer Profiles

These two Lend A Paw teams have recently completed their Certification and are ready to provide companionship and social interactions to people in need.

Stacey Procter and Flora
Stacey adopted Flora, a 3 year old Miniature Pinscher mix from New Leash On Life about a year ago.  At that time Flora was in training for the Lend A Paw program.  Flora is now settled in her new home with her human baby brother Tommy.  She and Stacey are very excited to have accomplished this goal of becoming certified.  Stacey is delighted to share Flora’s joyful personality with those in need, as well as to prove that shelter dogs can overcome their tumultuous pasts to become excellent companions, and even successful working dogs. 

Amanda Fogarty and Newman
Amanda rescued Newman, a Dalmatian, when he was left outside for 5 years to fend for himself.  He was very overweight and his leg muscles had atrophied due to lack of exercise, so he required a lot of rehabilitation before he could be certified.   Now, back in shape and fully certified, Newman is our first ever Dalmatian in the Lend A Paw program.  Amanda and Newman are looking forward to giving back to the community and educating children on the humane treatment of animals.

 Congratulations Stacey & Flora and Amanda & Newman! Keep up the good work!