Category Archives: Therapy Dogs

When Your Dog Talks – Listen

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Border Collie lying on dog bedAnn Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: (573) 443-0716 or Email: Contact Us
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This story from the Victoria, British Columbia, newspaper describes the insistent barking of the family’s dog one evening. When the owner, finally did open the door to see what was prompting the barks, she found her elderly mother on the sidewalk near the home unable to get up.  The 80-year-old had tripped.  The story reports the mother has recovered after a few days in the hospital.

The lesson for us – pay attention;  read your dog. The dog may well have important information for you.

Helping humans ‘read’ their dogs is an important part of the training throughout the classes in our school.

 

 

Will the Robot Replace the Live Dog for Therapy Visits

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Robot and Dog Look at each other (Adobe Stock)Ann Gafke’s Teacher’s Pet, 325 E. Dripping Springs Rd, Columbia, MO 65202
Phone: (573) 443-0716 or Email: Contact Us
Register Online

Those of us with therapy dogs would say “No way a robot could replace the benefits my therapy dog brings to people we serve.”

But this research study published on the web portal, Big Think, suggests the answer may be – Yes in some situations.  Researchers at the University of Portsmouth in England observed children interacting with live dogs and robotic dogs.  The children ages 11 and 12 interacted with the robot more.

The researchers suggested robotic dogs might be useful in situations where live animals are not appropriate  –  for example, with allergy sufferers and in places were live animals are not permitted.  The researchers also speculated that the robotic dogs might have  service roles too – suggesting it would be easier to bring one’s robotic emotional support creature onboard an airplane.

https://bigthink.com/technology-innovation/emotional-support-robots?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1

Dogs visit Ellis Library as stress relief

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Rudy_at_EllisRudy holds his ‘office hour’ at Ellis Library last week. He and several other dogs whose owners train with us took their dogs to Ellis Library on the Mizzou campus this past week as stress relievers for student prepping for final exams. Here is a sample of pictures from the week.

Can this UK therapy dog read?

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Dog_readerHuff Post news editor Hilary Hanson says ‘no’ – see the physical body cues the handler gives, she says in this cute article. 
This is an interesting story about the ‘reading to rover’ work of this dog. The handler says his dog’s response to the cue cards stimulates the children to read their lessons. Story includes a short video of the dog’s response to the cue cards.
Many of the folks in our drill team believe dogs can respond to ink on paper cues just as they respond to verbal and physical cues. Why not? The cues are all symbolic representations of what we want the dog to do.

Sunday visitors

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Members of our Drill Team — all certified therapy dogs — brighten the day of residents at the Arbors.  Members of our group also visit patients at hospitals, nursing homes, long-term group residences, libraries and schools weekly..

Pausing for the photograph, here were the visitors to the Arbors in Columbia, MO.

Pausing for the photograph, here were the visitors to the Arbors in Columbia, MO.

 

49 dogs serve in courtrooms in 17 states

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Foster, a chocolate lab, began his courtroom duty last week in Anniston, Alabama.  He is owned by the judge, trained at the University, and supervised in his courtroom duty by another court employee.  Foster’s duty is the help children and adults to must testify in family court.  He got his name from Judge Laura Phillips, who intended to provide him only a temporary home.  That won’t happen now.

Border Collie/Corgi helps 4-year-old boy

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Here is a touching story of a 4-year-old Montana boy and the dog that serves him. The boy suffers fainting spells brought on by stress.  The dog keeps him calm and can help revive him with licks when fainting happens.  Family is seeking funds to expand the dog’s training.  The boy says he hopes to teach the dog to ride his bike.