[nagdu] Dog Therapy and Paws that Heal
Haben Girma
habnkid at aol.com
Thu Feb 12 03:14:14 UTC 2009
Wow. The Pups on Parole program was the first I'd heard of. I"m glad to
hear there are so many more programs like it. I agree, it's a win-win
situation!
best,
Haben
lindagwizdak at peoplepc.com wrote:
> Hi Haben,
> I've heard of alot of different prison programs who work with dogs. I
> think Pilot Dogs and, I think, Southeastern Guide Dogs have puppy
> raisers who are in prison.
>
> Several years ago, there was a show called "Cell Dogs" on the Animal
> Planet station. It was really good! They had programs in many
> different prisons where they raised puppies for assistance dog
> programs, puppies to be guide dogs, and shelter programs where dogs
> needed more training and socialization to make them more adoptable for
> new permanent homes. These programs were a win-win situation for both
> the dogs and the inmates of the prisons. I think the inmates who were
> a part of one of these programs were better citizens themselves when
> they were released from prison. They learned to care, and even new
> skills to use for work on the outside. Many of those inmates were
> just misguided, troubled young people and they benefitted from a
> second chance at life as the dogs did.
>
> Take care,
>
> Linda and Landon
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Haben Girma" <habnkid at aol.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 1:00 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dog Therapy and Paws that Heal
>
>
>>
>> I found a cool program called Pups on Parole. A dog rescue facility
>> called Heaven Can Wait gets many dogs that have been abused and are
>> not quite ready to be adopted. Then these dogs are placed in the
>> program Pups on Parole and given to certain women in a prison center
>> in Navada where the inmates socialize the dogs. Simultaneously the
>> experience is beneficial to the inmates. So it's not quite like
>> Linda's program, and not exactly centered in Portland, but it was all
>> I could find right now.
>>
>> Are there any more people from Portland? I would love to interview
>> dog guide users and write a paper for class on the topic. Would you
>> be interested Tamara? I'm attending Lewis & Clark College and moved
>> up here from California for school.
>>
>> best,
>> Haben
>>
>> Tamara Smith-Kinney wrote:
>>> Haben,
>>>
>>> Welcome, fellow Portlander! Are you a native, or are you only here for
>>> school?
>>>
>>> We do have a number of programs around here, as well as a VA
>>> hospital with
>>> some satellite facilities. And that's the limit of my information
>>> on the
>>> subject. Checking it all out is on my to-do list, but my greater
>>> priorities
>>> are going to take another couple of months (or more) to get checked
>>> off. My
>>> roomie is a vet, and he wants to be involved there too and knows
>>> many of the
>>> people, so my first inquiries will be into whether there is a program
>>> similar to Linda's there. If not, I'm vaguely considering getting
>>> something
>>> like that rolling. We'll see.
>>>
>>> Meanwhile, I would love to hear what you find out!
>>>
>>> Tami Smith-Kinney
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>>> Behalf
>>> Of Haben Girma
>>> Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 7:03 PM
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> Subject: [nagdu] Dog Therapy and Paws that Heal
>>>
>>> Linda, I am absolutely intrigued! That is such a lovely program! I
>>> really hope I can find something like that in the Portland, Oregon
>>> area. I am a college student currently taking an anthropology class
>>> that requires students to go out and do fieldwork. I am considering
>>> doing something with Guide Dogs for the Blind in Boring, Oregon.
>>> Right now I'm going to search the Internet for a dog therapy program
>>> in Portland. Thanks for sharing LInda!
>>>
>>> Haben
>>>
>>> lindagwizdak at peoplepc.com wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi Haben,
>>>> There is no web page for Paws That Heal. We are a 3 year old
>>>> program that is run out of the Health & Wellness Department for the
>>>> Naval Medical Center of San Diego. The program manager is their
>>>> Diabetes Instructor. She is visually impaired with a guide dog and
>>>> she started the program after an encounter in the elevator with a
>>>> Wounded Warrior in her building. The servicemember had a profound
>>>> stutter and it took him five minutes to stutter out, "May I pet
>>>> your dog?" My friend - the instructor - allowed him to pet her dog
>>>> and the stutter went away just like that! He then shared his war
>>>> experiences with her - the servicemember was wounded in Iraq.
>>>>
>>>> Anyway, the Diabetes instructor happens to have been a friend of
>>>> mine for years. She also knows several of the other guide dog
>>>> users in the San Diego area who already had a program with the
>>>> local blind center where we bring our dogs to an outdoor, fenced in
>>>> dog park to allow the guide dogs play time together. We had
>>>> exclusive use of one of the fenced in areas for two hours once a
>>>> month. The friend of mine worked with us and her chain of command
>>>> at the hospital and permission was granted to bring several wounded
>>>> servicemembers to the park to play with our dogs - and Paws That
>>>> Heal was born. We also have a portion of the program where we go
>>>> to the locked mental health ward to work with the servicemembers
>>>> with PTSD and depression. More great stuff happened as well.
>>>>
>>>> I do have a flyer for the program but it is in a PDF file and
>>>> turned sideways - don't know if a screen reader can desipher it!
>>>>
>>>> The program manager has written to Marion Gwizdala and he in turn
>>>> had her contact Mike Hingson about the program. We are looking for
>>>> some new teams to work with us who live in the San Diego area. The
>>>> Paws program happens three times a month at the hospital so we need
>>>> people who can get there, can commit the time, and pass the
>>>> interviewing process - both human and dog.
>>>>
>>>> I forgot, where do you live?
>>>>
>>>> HTH
>>>>
>>>> Linda and Landon
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Haben Girma" <habnkid at aol.com>
>>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
>>>> Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Sent: Sunday, February 08, 2009 1:13 AM
>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Welcome Haben
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Linda, those volunteer programs sound awesome! Would you send me
>>>>> the web address for Paws that Heal? I'd love to read more about it.
>>>>>
>>>>> thanks,
>>>>> Haben
>>>>>
>>>>> lindagwizdak at peoplepc.com wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Welcome to the list, Haben.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I'm Linda and I live in San Diego - soon to move to Vermont.
>>>>>> Landon is my 3 year old red Lab/Golden cross from The Seeing
>>>>>> Eye. I got him in the October 2007 class. I am 58 years young
>>>>>> and have not had a paid job in eons. I've done lots of volunteer
>>>>>> jobs to get experience to put on a resume! Right now, Landon and
>>>>>> I work at two pet therapy programs. One for the Humane Society
>>>>>> where we visit various facilities for disabled kids and adults.
>>>>>> Landon is certified by the AKC's Canine Good Citizenship Test.
>>>>>> Landon is their program's first actual working assistance dog
>>>>>> they've had. Lots of guide dog and service dog pups, but we are
>>>>>> their first working team to be in the program. The other one is
>>>>>> a program called Paws That Heal that is at the Naval Medical
>>>>>> Center of SD. Both Landon and I had to pass a series of
>>>>>> interviews for this. We do a combo pet therapy, socialization,
>>>>>> and reintegration work with our Wounded Warriors from Iraq and
>>>>>> Afghanistan. We work mainly with the patients on the mental
>>>>>> health ward.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Haben, you'll enjoy this list - it's alot of fun.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Linda and Landon
>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Haben Girma" <habnkid at aol.com>
>>>>>> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog
>>>>>> Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>> Sent: Friday, February 06, 2009 9:27 PM
>>>>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Welcome Haben
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Hi Mardi, thanks for the explanations. I love the names of your
>>>>>>> dogs. I actually don't have a dog, I'm in the application
>>>>>>> process for a Seeing Eye dog right now. So, I'm patiently
>>>>>>> waiting to learn my fate.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>>> Haben
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Mardi Hadfield wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Hi every one, Welcome Haben. No, I don't live in
>>>>>>>> Alaska. My Huskies
>>>>>>>> are "south paws" We live in Tucson, Arizona. When I first
>>>>>>>> needed a guide
>>>>>>>> dog, I was told that the schools did not train for wheelchair
>>>>>>>> users.Since I
>>>>>>>> already had a service dog, who was a husky, I hired a trainer
>>>>>>>> to help me
>>>>>>>> train Lily to guide me. I had to retire her at age 8 as she
>>>>>>>> had health
>>>>>>>> issues and she died month later, leaving me with out a guide
>>>>>>>> dog. I tried
>>>>>>>> out a border collie and he did not work out as he had been
>>>>>>>> abused before I
>>>>>>>> got him and he could not handle being out in public. Then I got
>>>>>>>> another
>>>>>>>> husky, Nala,who was a fantastic guide. She will soon be 10
>>>>>>>> years old and has
>>>>>>>> health issues now.She has guided me for 8 years and it has been
>>>>>>>> hard to
>>>>>>>> retire her as she does not want to retire. When she sees me
>>>>>>>> getting ready to
>>>>>>>> go out, she brings me her harness and get all excited. She
>>>>>>>> started picking
>>>>>>>> fights with Wanagi, the dog that I was training to take over
>>>>>>>> for Nala. She
>>>>>>>> is a lot happier now that she is working again part time.
>>>>>>>> Wanagi came up
>>>>>>>> lame with a hip problem, so she was career changed. I am
>>>>>>>> keeping her as a
>>>>>>>> pet. I have been looking for a dog to take over as my new guide
>>>>>>>> for over 10
>>>>>>>> months. I think I have finally found a dog.I would love to get
>>>>>>>> a dog from
>>>>>>>> Fidelco,but when I asked about it ,I was told that they don't
>>>>>>>> train for
>>>>>>>> wheelchair users.I would have to pay my way to and from South
>>>>>>>> Eastern Guide
>>>>>>>> Dogs, which I could not afford, and really can't be away that
>>>>>>>> long. Guide
>>>>>>>> Dogs for the Blind would take me ,but again, I can't be away
>>>>>>>> from my home
>>>>>>>> and business that long. So I guess I will just continue to
>>>>>>>> train my own
>>>>>>>> guides with the help of my trainer. Haben, do you have a guide
>>>>>>>> dog? If so ,
>>>>>>>> what breed is it? I love hearing from others and about their
>>>>>>>> dogs. Have a
>>>>>>>> great day, Mardi and Nala,semi-retired, and Shaman , possible
>>>>>>>> trainee.
>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
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