[nagdu] 2 dogs in one

[Lyn Gwizdak]

Is this from Bibi?  Joyce Dribbin and Tudor was in my class when I got 
Landon!  Glad to see that she is doing well and doing pet assisted therapy 
as I am doing with landon.

What Joyce says is true and this activity with your dog can be very 
rewarding and yes, you do need a bit of sighted assistance in doing this as 
Joyce mentioned.  I go with a team and they let me know if a person wants to 
visit with Landon or not.  We also bring other small critters like a rabbit, 
guinea pigs, and rats.  Landon gets along with these animals.  Landon was 
tested and passed the Canine Good Citizen Test which was required by our 
Humane Society.

Does Joyce read this list?  If not, here's my e-mail in case she would like 
to hear about my pet therapy stories.  I have two e-mail addresses - one old 
and my mail still goes out on it linda.gwizdak at cox.net and my new one that I 
will switch everything over to eventually leg1950 at cox.net .  So, Landon is a 
"two-in-one" kind of dog as well.

Lyn and Landon
"Education creates tolerance towards diversity."
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Criminal Justice Major" <orleans24 at comcast.net>
To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2012 8:47 PM
Subject: [nagdu] 2 dogs in one


> Sent: Monday, September 17, 2012 9:37 PM
> Subject: 2 dogs in one
> Two Dogs in One
> If you grew up in the 1960's, you may remember a TV commercial that 
> advertised a mint as being, "Two, two, two mints in one." A good friend 
> and colleague, Joyce Driben, has a Black Labrador/Golden Retriever Seeing 
> Eye(R) dog that is two dogs in one because he also volunteers with her in 
> a therapeutic capacity. The setting to which they go each week is the 
> Southwestern VA Center in Pittsburgh, PA.
> "A reader told me that this VA Center was looking for volunteers, and they 
> especially wanted someone to bring a dog in," Joyce replied, when I asked 
> how she and Tutor got started there.
> "Though we first visited people on the Alzheimer's unit, we then added 
> physical therapy where we encouraged movement by having the patients pet 
> Tutor. Now we go everywhere in the building and visit whoever wants to see 
> us," Joyce concluded. The vets also enjoy giving Tutor snacks--something 
> Joyce monitors carefully.
> "When I had a guide dog," I said "I often encountered people who were so 
> afraid of dogs that they insisted mine would bite. Have you experienced 
> that fear with patients?"
> Joyce said that some of the residents have expressed a dislike for dogs, 
> but, regarding fear, it's mostly the staff. "One worker even said, 'I'm 
> afraid of that dog'," Joyce added.
> Joyce also explained the importance of sighted assistance in what she 
> does. "So that Tutor can interact more with the residents, I have him out 
> of harness, so I can't expect him to guide. Also, with many of the 
> patients being in wheelchairs, things like food and drinks need to be 
> lower so they can reach them, but this also makes it easier for dogs to 
> get them. Another problem is that some of the patients with Alzheimer's 
> can no longer speak, so they motion for the dog to come
> visit--something I wouldn't know on my own," Joyce explained.
> "What suggestions do you have for readers who might want to do similar 
> volunteering with their dogs?" I asked.
> "Part of it is exploring what's available in your community since every 
> community is different," Joyce responded. Joyce also emphasized how 
> friendly, calm, and good with people a dog has to be. "A dog also has to 
> be comfortable with appliances like canes, oxygen, and wheelchairs," she 
> said. "My first dog couldn't have done this because she was scared to 
> death of wheelchairs. The slight hissing noise an oxygen tank makes can 
> also scare some dogs."
> Some final points are that the dog must be clean, well groomed, and in 
> good health if they are to volunteer in a hospital.
> "Tutor is so loveable that-when I had to miss a few weeks--guess who
> the patients asked about? It wasn't me," Joyce ended with a laugh.
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