𝙄𝙛 𝙖 𝙙𝙤𝙜 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙤
𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙣𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬.
Therapy dogs accompany their owners to volunteer in settings such as nursing homes, assisted living facilities, rehab facilities, mental health institutions, schools, hospitals, cancer centers, hospice facilities, and college campuses …just to name a few! No matter what the setting, therapy dogs and their handlers work together as a team to improve the lives of other people.
It is important to note that therapy dogs are not service dogs. Service dogs are dogs who are specially trained to perform specific tasks that a person cannot perform on their own. An example of a service dog is a dog who guides an owner who is blind, or a dog who assists someone who has a physical disability. Service dogs have special privileges in public places such as on planes, in stores, and in restaurants, etc. Therapy dogs do not have the same special access as service dogs.
Not every dog has the right temperament for therapy dog work. Once I determined that the dog has good manners, and would react positively to being touched by strangers, I began the process of becoming a member of a therapy dog organization and started the testing process.
I registered my therapy dogs through Alliance of Therapy Dogs by doing the following:
ANY breed can be a therapy dog! To become a therapy dog, a dog must:
Therapy dogs have countless benefits to offer to students of all ages! The following information is from the ATD website:
I’d be glad to help if I can! Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with questions or concerns you may have.
Waffles topped with eggs, sausage links, hash brown, raspberries and blueberries
New York strip steak, green beans, sweet potato
This monument, dedicated to Military Working Dogs, is located in Veteran’s Park in Hamilton, NJ.
On March 12, 2023 Lager did a very special hike in honor of K9 Veterans Day with his best gal pal, Ellie.
Veteran’s Park is a 333 acre park built in 1977 in honor of Hamilton, NJ’s veterans. The park offers many walking paths, picnic grounds, and athletic fields. We completed a 4.1 mile hike on mostly paved paths as we explored the various memorials throughout the park.
Well…more like plates and screws…Today Whiskey had TPLO surgery on her left knee. I’m not sure why, but I was even more nervous this time around!
The surgery was performed at Mount Laurel Animal Hospital by Dr. Morris. Whiskey’s drop off time was 7am so we arrived a few minutes early so that she could visit her farm friends before being admitted for her procedure.
Here we go!
Whiskey was a good girl (for the most part!) while in the waiting area after we checked in.
Once I got back home, I did a deep cleaning of the Fish Fortress so that her recovery area was super clean and ready for her arrival home.
Whiskey was induced under general anesthesia and X-rays were obtained. She was taken to surgery, where she was confirmed to
have a partial tear in her cranial cruciate ligament. Her meniscus was normal. A tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (PLO) was then performed without complication. Whiskey received an injection of a long-lasting numbing medication along her incision during closure to aid in post-operative comfort.
Whiskey recovered smoothly from anesthesia.
…Specifically chicken! Whiskey schmoozed chicken from her Aunt Amanda after surgery.
Whiskey post-surgery soaking up some sun on this beautiful sunny day.
Hanging out with her Aunt Amanda after a post-surgery snack and walk. Our friend, Amanda, is the Nursing Supervisor at Mount Laurel Animal Hospital.
After the first surgery on her right knee, Whiskey walked out of the hospital on her own. This time, she was reluctant to walk at all or to put any weight on her left knee. She had to be carried out to the car. This is understandable and expected because Whiskey’s right knee is still in the process of healing. Whiskey will be a bit more unsteady this time around, so we will have to be extra cautious and take things especially slow.
Whiskey is expected to increasingly put weight on the operated leg over the next 2 weeks so that she is at least touching the toe to the ground by the time she goes to her two-week check-up appointment. By 6 weeks post-op, Whiskey is expected to be comfortably weight bearing on her left leg. Full recovery can take up to 3 to 6 months once Whiskey is allowed to resume her usual activities.
Last week Whiskey was tapered off of all meds for pain and sedation. She tolerated it well! I kept her PT exercises the same since the pain meds were being stopped, but her walking routine increased by five minutes each session to three walks a day at 10 minutes a piece.
This week marks 4-weeks post-surgery and we once again kicked her PT sessions up a notch. Along with the exercises Whiskey began at her 2-week post-surgery mark, I added in some tug in addition to backwards walking instead of using it as an alternative, and also introduced cavalettis. Whiskey’s three walks a day also increased to 15 minutes per session. She is tolerating all of this just fine, which is great because surgery number two on her left side is less than a week away – March 6th!
Controlled “tug” is a great way to encourage use of hind quarters during recovery.
Cavalettis during rehab strengthens muscles involved in knee flexion (bending), increases range of motion in the knee joint and helps to ensure stiffness in the joint does not occur.
If you are setting up cavalettis for your dog, here is a general guideline on where to set the poles:
*Adjusted from original guidelines at cleanrun.com
Whiskey has been walking, doing her exercises, and using stairs without any assistance.
A very special someone sent Whiskey a “Get Well Soon” package! Yummy treats and the most PERFECT Benebone ever…a fish! Whiskey worked extra hard during her PT for the treats and was occupied all night with the Benebone fish! Such perfect gifts – and so thoughtful and generous! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!