by Lorie Lewis Ham
Recently I met Shannon Escobedo and her two therapy dogs, Doxie and Fozzy, at the Reedley Library. She now brings them to the Library on Saturday’s to have the kids read to them.
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therapy dogs
by Erica Horn
I love my job as a dog trainer, more specifically, a service dog trainer. Although I train privately, a huge part of my job and daily life is educating the public about service dogs. Much of the time I have a service dog in training with me when I am out and about and I am frequently approached by people wishing to know more about the dog at my side.
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by Barbara Ebel
Chester, our intelligent Chesapeake Bay retriever, wasn’t about to escape my writing about him. Almost two years old when this story happened, he was serious and willful in play, as well as in training. He is an assisted-activities and therapy dog, so he’s no dummy. Plus, he’s become a celebrity as the star in five children’s books. At the time, this sorrel, headstrong retriever probably figured he’d be visiting nursing homes and hospitals, so it was time to bone up on touring novel places.
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by Judy McFadden
A pint-sized angel with shimmering, sheer wings and a crooked halo on her head stood among the motley crew of trick-or-treaters on my front porch. She couldn’t have been more than four years old, much shorter than the others and her small pumpkin container hung lower. As I handed out Halloween candy, I suddenly heard a loud wail. “Nooooo, stop it!” Tears streamed down the face of the little angel in distress; her mother hurriedly ran up onto the porch. I looked down wondering what on earth could be wrong. Then I saw it! My Scottish terrier’s head was buried in her candy carrier frantically trying to grab a mouthful of candy before making his getaway. I assured the frantic mother that her angel hadn’t been bitten by the black furry head submerged in the pumpkin.
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by Lynette Endicott
Animals know things. Long-time animal lovers and owners sometimes take this for granted. Since I came to animal ownership late in life I am awed every time it happens. How does Ollie know?
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by Lee Juslin
Darlene had worked as a surgical scrub nurse in a VA hospital for many years and also had taught Special Ed. She made her dogs a part of her work even when she had to sneak them in. I saw what a difference a dog can make with a child struggling with physical and emotional issues, she said.
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by Lee Juslin
Jon was a cat person. The only dogs he’d known were the hunting dogs his family kept when he was a kid. Yet, when he hit a rough patch in his life, he decided to get a dog; someone to walk with and have fun.
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by Lee Juslin
When Deb got her Maltese puppy, Kalia, whose name in Greek means good and beautiful, she was determined that the little pup would follow in the paw steps of her previous Maltese, Simka, as a therapy dog.
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by Lee Juslin
When Barbara lost her beloved Bichon, she was heartbroken and lonely. A friend told her about Small Paws Rescue and Barbara applied to adopt another Bichon Frise.
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by Lee Juslin
Currently Eileen’s Shreq, a handsome Doberman Pinscher, has proven himself to be outstanding in all three fields, but his award winning work as a therapy dog is particularly noteworthy. From young children in reading programs to nursing homes, Shreq is a big favorite, and often in costumes like his famous Elvis outfit.
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by Lee Juslin
When Julie lost her beloved Yorkshire Terrier, Keiko, she not only lost her best friend but she also lost a big part of her life. Keiko was a certified therapy dog. She and Julie had spent a lot of years visiting hospitals and participating in events to highlight pet therapy. Now Julie found herself on the outside looking in at what had been an important part of her life.
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by Lee Juslin
When Katie Greene was laid off from her IT job, she took it as a sign, a sign that she should pursue pet therapy with her rescue dog, Suki. Katie had a degree in music therapy and Suki was the most laidback people-loving dog in the universe—at least to Katie. Seemed like a perfect fit, so Katie and Suki, a blend of husky, border collie, and whatever else, began training.
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by Terrance V. Mc Arthur
You wouldn’t expect to see a dog in a library, but Aero, a perky little Papillion, is a regular visitor at the Reedley and Orange Cove branches of the Fresno County Public Library, he isn’t a seeing-eye dog with a harness; he wears a jaunty bandana and tags that identify him as a therapy dog, trained as a reading tutor.
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by Lee Juslin
While most senior facilities have always welcomed well-behaved dogs for family visits, over the last few decades pet visits have come to encompass a more structured program of pet assisted therapy involving strict standards for training and behavior.Therapy pets are now certified through a number of national and regional therapy pet organizations. Even the American Kennel Club, which had already established dog behavioral standards through its Canine Good Citizen certification, has recently established a program to recognize registered therapy dogs.
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