The beauty of having a big stuffed dog is that it doesn't have to be walked, fed, or groomed; all that's required is lots of love and attention and a few thousand hugs over the course of its lifetime and it's good to go.
Julia Havey, a registered nurse and a colleague, started raising puppies more than a decade ago so they could go on to become assistance dogs. Through a non-profit organization called Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), these dogs go to people free of charge that have both physical and developmental disabilities. According to recent findings taken from adults who had undergone total joint replacement surgery, 50 percent less pain medication was needed for those who used pet therapy compared to those that did not.
The findings of the pet therapy study were presented at the 18th Annual Conference of the International Society of Anthrozoology and the First Human Interaction Conference. A patients emotional, physical, and psychological health, can be greatly affected in a positive way according to Julia Havey, who presented at the conference. Based on the new findings, it goes a long way to supporting the expansion of pet therapy for recovering patients.
Through the process of raising their puppies, both Havey and colleague Vlasses, go to class with the dogs, house them, and teach them public etiquette until such time they are ready to go into a formal training program. The Loyola University Medical Center where the women work, has supported the dogs training by allowing them to be on campus with their owners. When the dogs reach the age of 15 months, they are turned over to CCI's regional training center for a period of six to nine months where they go on to be trained as one of four types of assistance dogs.
Dogs that provide service are trained for physical tasks along with providing social support to their owner. They learn 40 different commands so their owner - who may suffer form multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy, to name a few - can become more independent. A facility dog is the type of dog that is trained so as to be able to work with either an adult or child all under the guidance of a facilitator. Hearing dogs are trained so they can recognize sounds and alert their owner when necessary - a doorbell, an alarm clock, or a smoke alarm are examples of sounds they will be taught.
Service dogs spend about eight years of their life helping people in need and after that, the dog goes on to retirement where it will live the rest of its life as a pet.
While a big stuffed dog cannot provide the same kind of physical support as a real service dog, they do have their place when it comes to emotional support. Like most soft toys, a big stuffed dog can become a great source of comfort to a child in need, who requires the big shoulders of a big stuffed dog to cry on when they've had a rough go of it. And when no one else will listen, that big stuffed dog will be there to do just that, anytime it's needed.
Julia Havey, a registered nurse and a colleague, started raising puppies more than a decade ago so they could go on to become assistance dogs. Through a non-profit organization called Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), these dogs go to people free of charge that have both physical and developmental disabilities. According to recent findings taken from adults who had undergone total joint replacement surgery, 50 percent less pain medication was needed for those who used pet therapy compared to those that did not.
The findings of the pet therapy study were presented at the 18th Annual Conference of the International Society of Anthrozoology and the First Human Interaction Conference. A patients emotional, physical, and psychological health, can be greatly affected in a positive way according to Julia Havey, who presented at the conference. Based on the new findings, it goes a long way to supporting the expansion of pet therapy for recovering patients.
Through the process of raising their puppies, both Havey and colleague Vlasses, go to class with the dogs, house them, and teach them public etiquette until such time they are ready to go into a formal training program. The Loyola University Medical Center where the women work, has supported the dogs training by allowing them to be on campus with their owners. When the dogs reach the age of 15 months, they are turned over to CCI's regional training center for a period of six to nine months where they go on to be trained as one of four types of assistance dogs.
Dogs that provide service are trained for physical tasks along with providing social support to their owner. They learn 40 different commands so their owner - who may suffer form multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy, to name a few - can become more independent. A facility dog is the type of dog that is trained so as to be able to work with either an adult or child all under the guidance of a facilitator. Hearing dogs are trained so they can recognize sounds and alert their owner when necessary - a doorbell, an alarm clock, or a smoke alarm are examples of sounds they will be taught.
Service dogs spend about eight years of their life helping people in need and after that, the dog goes on to retirement where it will live the rest of its life as a pet.
While a big stuffed dog cannot provide the same kind of physical support as a real service dog, they do have their place when it comes to emotional support. Like most soft toys, a big stuffed dog can become a great source of comfort to a child in need, who requires the big shoulders of a big stuffed dog to cry on when they've had a rough go of it. And when no one else will listen, that big stuffed dog will be there to do just that, anytime it's needed.
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