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How We Serve Facilities

Adding A Helping Paw To Therapeutic Activities

Our area of focus is customized sessions with the goal of accomplishing the needs for healing and rehabilitation from the facilities reaching out.  We evaluate each dog for their individual skillsets and create a resume that showcases the activities they can perform to help reach the target you set forth.

therapy dog giving a person a high 5

Goals

While all the specific goals for each individual are unique, these activities can be used to achieve multiple goals.   

Goals In Action

Balance

  • Walking dog from wheelchair, walker or freestanding

  • Bending to pickup balls or toys

  • Getting and setting water down for the dog

  • Reaching to pet, from right or left across the body

Memory & Cognitive

 

  • Remembering dog’s name, breed and or history

  • Remembering handler’s name

  • Activities with dog’s picture book

  • Giving Commands

  • Remembering colors, shapes & directions

Self Esteem

  • Dog’s total acceptance of disability, disfigurement or appearance

  • Empowerment giving the commands and getting a response

  • Increased social interaction with others because of the dog

Sensory Stimulation

  • Feel of fur and body warmth

  • Dog “kisses”

  • Feel of feet, nails, tails, ears, nose, etc.

  • Hearing barking or other vocalizations

Endurance

  • Throwing ball, frisbee or bumper for extended periods (while standing or sitting)

  • Walking with animal for increased amount of time

  • Holding dog toy or ball in cert

Problem Solving

 

  • Choosing a type of treat or toy

  • Deciding where to go during a walk and how to get there

  • Giving dog appropriate commands

  • Choosing directions

  • Choosing type of activity to do with dog

  • Deciding where to hide treats or toys for dog to find

  • Playing Hide & Seek with dog or dogs toys/treat

Speech

  • Calling Dog’s Name

  • Giving Obedience commands clearly

  • Making click or whistle noises to get dog's attention

  • Finding voice to any of the above

  • Repeating Directions for commands

Fine Motor Skills

  • Grasping or reaching for treats

  • Opening or closing treat container

  • Working with knots, buckles, buttons, snaps, velcro closures, clips, etc. on animals uniform & equipment

  • Helping brush dog’s teeth

  • “Undressing” and redressing dog with uniform & equipment

  • Assisting in grooming activities, using brushes, towels, spray bottles, etc.​

  • Opening & closing dog's water bottle, pouring in bowl and setting down for dog

  • Unloading & loading dog's "gear" for session activities

Range of Motion

 

  • Tossing Ball or Frisbee

  • Set Bumper and guide dog to retrieve

  • Brushing, petting or other grooming

  • Tug of war

  • Play soccer with dog

  • Give signals for dog to perform tricks

  • Give treats

Strength

  • Squeezing toys or balls

  • Tug of war

  • Dog Soccer

  • Working dog agility course

  • Holding out or up ball or toy for extended time

Rock Balancing

Psychotherapy

 When you choose Animal Assisted Therapy you add numerous psychological and physiological benefits as well.  When people interact with dogs in these activities they may experience improvements in health like these

  • Decreased stress levels

  • Reduced anger & aggression

  • Decreased hostility towards self & others

  • Improved Social Interactions

  • Decreased heart rate & blood pressure

  • Rise in release of endorphines

  • Improvement in self esteem, trust & patience

  • Sense of empowerment

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