Maria Alden, retired third grade teacher from Maureen M. Welch Elementary in Council Rock School District, hosted a black Lab therapy dog for five years. She created a therapy dog related activity which helped motivate her children throughout the year. 

Maria purchased an inexpensive black Lab statue at the Dollar Store and introduced it to her class at the beginning of the year. The class then voted what to call the dog, and Hershey was the winning name. 

Maria explained that Hershey would accompany a student in the class home each weekend, and she would base her selection on each child’s social and academic performance that week. In some cases, the privilege was used as motivation for children with specific educational or behavioral challenges. 

The lucky student was required to keep and submit a journal of the dog’s weekend with the child’s family which was also shared with the class.  Most students hand wrote their journal and included photographs. 

Student KB chose to put her newly learned Power Point skills to use and submitted this account of Hershey’s December weekend with her. As you can see, it was a full and exciting one!  

HERSHEY’S DIARY – My Weekend with KB 

This weekend I went to KB’s house. I was very excited because I like to go to my friends’ houses.   KB mentioned that there will be a surprise. I can’t wait to see what it is. KB’s family decorated the tree already.

I found a decoration that looks like a gingerbread letter K.   I also got to ride a Christmas train. 

On Saturday, I went to gymnastics practice with KB and really liked it. All the girls were such hard workers.    I loved their sparkly competition leotards. So, I was thinking… Maybe I can get one too if I practice as hard! 

I also helped KB to wrap holiday gifts…  and met her friends. I had tea with Barbie and her friends in their doll house…  And played dress up with them…   

On Sunday, I finally learned what the surprise was – we were going to see the Nutcracker Ballet!!!  

The theater was like a palace, and I got my own Playbill.   KB mentioned that there was a seven headed Mouse King in the performance, and I was a bit scared, but I promised not to bark.    During intermission KB and I went to see the orchestra pit. KB pointed out several instruments to me. The second part was not scary at all. Can you guess my favorite dance? Maybe you think it was the Sugarplum Fairy? She is very pretty but not my favorite…  Maybe you think it was the Candy Cane? He was very cool, but it is still not it. My favorite dance was HOT CHOCOLATE!!! Yummy!!! So I was thinking… Maybe I can also become a ballerina? 

They can surely use a Hershey for their Hot Chocolate dance!!! I can’t wait to tell all my friends at school about my weekend with KB. We had a lot of fun!  

**Nor’wester Note:  Our host teachers are always thinking outside the box and using our therapy dogs in many wonderful ways to challenge, motivate, and make learning fun for their students .

Howard Barkan with Winnie and Debbie Glessner with Hannah and Heidi did ESY (extended school year) visits to Goodnoe Elementary in Council Rock School District to work with Lindsay Hawthorne’s class. One of her students, Nate Whitney, wrote about his experiences with Winnie and Hannah.

Petting Hannah

Therapy Dogs

By Nate Whitney

My experience with any dog before I was with the therapy dogs was not very easy for me. I would be terrified to be near any dog. It was pretty upsetting for me because when I would go out in public and there would be a dog, it would be extremely stressful for me.

When I started seeing Hannah, I was nervous, but I didn’t expect for me to become so good with her. As time went on, and Hannah and I had more visits, the better I got with her. Each time I saw her I would do something that I was too nervous to do the last time (for example, walking Hannah or petting Hannah on the head). When I would do something that I couldn’t do the last time, I felt pretty proud of myself and what I have accomplished. 

I definitely think that my experiences with Hannah have helped me a good amount in public situations with dogs. I wouldn’t be as nervous and stressed out when near dogs. A couple of things I loved about Hannah was how gentle she was and how she would know that I was scared and wouldn’t do certain things (for example, she wouldn’t sniff my hand or kiss me because she knew I was nervous,) to make me comfortable. Also, I loved how calm she was.

Later on, during ESY (Extended School Year), I met Winnie. At first, I was extremely nervous because it seemed that Winnie was a little more energetic than Hannah. As time went on, I realized that Winnie is just as gentle as Hannah. I would (just like with Hannah) start to do things I wouldn’t do the last time. 

The first time I saw Winnie I was too scared to even touch her. Now I can pet Winnie and I feel more comfortable with her. When I would pet Winnie, it would feel like a great accomplishment for me because the first time I couldn’t even go near her.I enjoyed my time with the therapy dogs very much because it has helped me a lot with social situations with dogs. I appreciate all the help and skills that they have given to me.

Getting to know Winnie

Nor’wester’s public library liaison & coordinator, Lynn Lenz, worked with librarians Sarah Ravapinto and Christy Lazzarino to offer a six week vacation program of READ TO THE DOGS at the Richboro public library. The program started on June 27^th and ran weekly on Thursdays through August 8^th. Therapy dogs were provided by the Nor’wester organization and drew a large crowd each week. A special thank you to Lynn Lenz, the librarians, and all the therapy dog teams who joined the children and their parents for a relaxing and enjoyable reading hour.

Sarah Ravapinto, Lynn Lenz, Christy Lazzarino (left to right)

Reading to Cooper who makes a great pillow

Kerrigan listens to a good book

Elizabeth Hayes and Rachel, the Bearded Collie, helped give confidence to their readers

Howard Barkan and Winnie enjoy hearing a story

Judy Eckenrode and her Border Collie, Casey, are library regulars and can always be found in the children’s corner on Read to the Dogs days.

Kelly Wolff and Miss Daisy have been volunteering with the Nor’wester organization for eleven years and love spending time with children. 

Nor’wester Therapy Dogs receives donations through the Amazon Smile program, which donates 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products. Just by shopping at smile.amazon.com, you can donate to us!

On your first visit to AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), you are prompted to select a charitable organization from our list of eligible organizations. You can change your selection at any time.

To change your charitable organization:

1. Sign in to smile.amazon.com on your desktop or mobile phone browser.
2. From your desktop, go to Your Account from the navigation at the top of any page, and then select the option to Change your Charity. Or, from your mobile browser, select Change your Charity from the options at the bottom of the page.
3. Select a new charitable organization to support.

If you use the Amazon App, follow these instructions:

1. Open the Amazon Shopping app on your device
2. Go into the main menu of the Amazon Shopping app and tap into ‘Settings’
3. Tap ‘AmazonSmile’ and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process

If you do not have the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app, update your app. Click here for instructions.

For more information about the AmazonSmile program, go to http://smile.amazon.com/about.

More letters from the kids. . .

Patrick makes me more happy and more confident when he’s around. He’s good to have near because he’s soft and gives confidence and happiness.  That’s why I like having Patrick around.  Grant

Patrick has been a very good therapy dog. He has helped me by making me overcome my fear of big dogs. He also is a good friend of mine. I really like Patrick as a therapy dog. Sophia

I think Patrick helps me feel better when he is with me. He makes me understand dogs better. I always think he helps me do my projects better. Patrick is the best therapy dog in the world. Patrick is an amazing dog that always helps me. Max

Patrick makes me feel happy because he is calm, and he makes me feel calm. Patrick is a great therapy dog. He is my favorite dog I have ever known. I would love to have him again next year. I also love seeing him at the reading to dogs at night in our pajamas. I always read at least 30 books to him every hour. I also see him in my grandmom’s room at least 5 times a month. I love seeing Patrick once a week. It makes my day!   Matthew

I think Patrick is a very good dog. Patrick has helped me become more confident about reading out loud. Patrick helps me study for tests. Patrick’s bright face helps me feel happy if I’m sad.   Griffin

Patrick has helped me a lot through school hours. He has helped so much mostly because I love dogs and having one at my school has made me so much happier. He has made me so much more confident with my work. He made me feel like I have something that I always wanted, and it truly came true which has cheered me up so much. Dogs are the most lucky companions. They help me a lot when I do not feel very excited to do my work. Also the cute look on Patrick’s face makes me giggle. I am so glad Patrick came to 2D to help me. Patrick is the best pup ever!!! We all love Patrick so much. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!  Violet

Patrick has paid attention to me like none of the people in my group has. He is the only dog I’m not scared of, and did I forget to mention that I’m scared of dogs. Even though Patrick is a dog, he can be a very good friend! He has helped me not be afraid of dogs too! He is so fun, and I love to pet him!  Alice

By Shelby Wetzel Crawford and her kids

More letters from the kids. . .

Patrick is something that I look forward to because I had a dog come in my classroom before. It is so cool to have a dog in your classroom. I like Patrick coming into my class.   Scarlett

Patrick is so amazing and so good for us. I just cannot have to match with them. And the least one I love.   Natalie

 Patrick makes me feel at home, makes me a better reader, and helps me focus better. Patrick helps me stay on task, and Patrick makes me focus on what I’m supposed to be doing in class. He makes me feel confident and comfortable reading out loud and reading slowly so I can read the words and not rush.  Cody

Patrick helped me this year because… he helped me when I felt sad!!!! He is so cute!!!! He helps me to be a better reader!!!!! He lays on me!!! That’s how he helped me this year!!!!!!!!   Alia

Patrick, you have made me feel comfortable to be near dogs. You also make it feel easier to write stuff. Patrick helps me be a star student, and you are really loveable and cute (That is why I love Patrick).   Ava

Patrick is so good. He has helped me read out loud to my friends and class. He helped me to not be afraid of big dogs. He helped me to remember about my Grandpa and his two dogs.   Benedetta

Patrick has helped me because I have three dogs. Two of them recently passed away, and it helps me to be around dogs. Working with dogs just makes me feel better. Henry

Sue Oakes of Oakes K9 Training and Kathy Gardosh are both evaluators who are certified to do the AKC Canine Good Citizen and the Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs tests.

Sue has over 30 years of experience training dogs and specializes in canine behavioral cases. She is a former certified animal control officer and a graduate of the School of Animal Sciences. Her other memberships and qualifications include:

• Association of Professional Dog Trainers (APDT)
• International Association of Canine Professionals (IACP)
• Certified Dog Trainer (CDT) per the IACP
• Judge and senior representative for World Cyanosport Rally Obedience – All Levels
• Judge and representative for Companion Dog Sports Program (CDSP) Obedience – Novice/Open

Kathy is currently owned and loved by two rescued Golden Retrievers, Sam and Patrick.

• Sam came from a puppy mill and was very timid and shy. However, Kathy discovered he was an excellent therapy dog who is still working at 12 years of age. Sam is also a “test dog” for the Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs Registry.

• Patrick had a tough time before finding his forever home as he was a stray walking the streets and beaches of Puerto Rico. Fortunately, he was brought to the states for adoption by a reputable rescue organization. Patrick loves obedience work and has earned multiple titles in both traditional obedience and rally obedience in three different venues. He is currently working as a therapy dog, earned his AKC Therapy Dog Novice Title this past year and was recently made a “test dog” for Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs.

Kathy serves as the Nor’wester Therapy Dogs liaison to Upper Dublin and facilitates the Nor’wester program in the schools where therapy teams are visiting.

Over the years of testing, Kathy and Sue have had some funny experiences. We asked them to share some of those experiences with us. 

A schutzhund lady was testing her dog in hopes of passing the therapy dog test. 

“Sitzen,” she commanded.  The dog did not obey and just looked at her.  A repeat of the command did not produce any results.  The tester proceeded with the next exercise. 

“Nieder!” the owner said.  The dog looked at her quizzically and did not respond. 

“Hacke,” and “kommen sie” were also ignored by the dog. 

At this point the owner was getting annoyed and frustrated. 

Kathy and Sue then suggested that she start over and try the commands in English.  The dog performed beautifully!

**Schutzhund refers to a dog sport that was developed in Germany in the early 1900s as a breed suitability test for the German Shepherd breed. The test would determine if the dog displayed the appropriate traits and characteristics of a proper working German Shepherd. Today, it is used as a sport where many breeds other than German Shepherd dogs can compete, but it is such a demanding test that few dogs can pass.

Another woman had three Australian Shepherds she was bringing to test.  Two of them needed to share a crate on the ride to the testing facility. When she arrived, she was aghast to discover that one of the dogs had chewed the collar off his crate partner.  The owner had not brought a spare collar and was in a panic. How was she going to test?! Her home was too far to go back for a collar. Fortunately, Sue and Kathy, chuckling quietly, offered her a collar so she could test. The dog passed.

A woman was in the midst of testing with her 5-year-old Labrador Retriever she had recently acquired.  She was performing the distraction exercise, which requires the dog to walk past and “leave” a treat lying on the floor.  When the evaluator gives the command, the handler is required to stop, pick up the treat, and hand it to the evaluator.  The dog performed the “leave it” exercise beautifully, and the handler picked up the treat and promptly fed it to her dog!  The owner failed, but the dog passed. 

One day a man came with his wife’s dog to take the therapy test.  His wife wanted to do therapy work with the dog so she sent her husband to get the dog certified.  The husband was prepared to do the test until the evaluators explained that his WIFE had to take the test with the dog if SHE planned to be the handler on therapy visits. 

Then Sue and Kathy reminisced about the many dogs brought in for testing that are totally out of control. Lunging at the end of the leash, barking, jumping on people, or petrified in new surroundings.  The owners are often clueless about training and what is required of a therapy dog.  “But my dog LOVES people,” is the common refrain. 

Sue and Kathy patiently explain that a good therapy dog needs to be well socialized, confident, mannerly, and obedient. 

Those tales from a tester are ongoing and often provide the laughter to break the testing tension.  We look forward to more of these humorous stories as well as funny things that happen in the classrooms our therapy teams visit.

By Mrs. Shelby Wetzel Crawford  and her kids

Mrs. Shelby Wetzel Crawford, teacher, writes: 

“Ms. Kathy and Patrick have been an amazing highlight of our year in second grade. The students constantly ask when they will be coming and if they could come more often. They look forward to studying with Patrick, reading with him, and just having him in the room. We have taught him shapes and time in math. We have done science experiments with him, and we have practiced our reading and even our writing with him. The students have become more confident from reading aloud to Patrick.  They have learned better study skills from reviewing flashcards with him and have just enjoyed having him as a companion in class. I cannot thank Ms. Kathy enough for her amazing communication and fantastic job working with the students!

The children wanted to share how Patrick and Ms. Kathy have impacted their experiences as a second grade student this year!”

Patrick is helpful because he helps me share my stuff. Patrick is helpful because he makes me focus.  Dean

In second grade Patrick is my happy place. When I have bad dreams, Patrick helps me stay positive. In times that I’m scared, Patrick helps me stay comfortable. Now I kind of forget how it is not to have Patrick every Tuesday in the classroom. Patrick is a good helper in science and social studies. 

Eyiram

I think that Patrick has made me a better “out loud reader.”  Patrick made me better at sharing my ideas. Kieran

Patrick helps me focus. When I tell Patrick my ideas, Ms. Cathy tells me if it’s good or not good. If it’s good I keep it up; if it’s bad I erase it.  Tyler

Patrick helps me feel sure, helps me focus more, and he helps me think about my answers.   Thomas

Patrick helped me to be focused and feel calm. Also, he helped me to share my ideas. I think that Patrick made me better at reading out loud.  Jayson

Patrick has made me more confident with reading out loud. It has helped a lot because when I would read sometimes, I would skip lines. He helps a lot by helping us read better and knowing economics and flashcards. That´s what Patrick has done for us.  Beau

Patrick is helpful because he helps me calm down. He helps me want to show my work more. He is a friend, and he makes me want to make more friends.   Jonathan More of Mrs. Crawford’s students will be sharing their thoughts in the weeks to come…

Our volunteers were invited to our annual Appreciation Breakfast to express the organization’s gratitude for their commitment to our therapy dog program.  This year we held the celebration at Corner Bakery Café in Newtown, PA.

During the gathering we present annual certificates of service and do special recognition for five and ten year honorees.  We had three five-year honorees who received a special certificate and a rhinestone paw pin: Janine Monico, Lynn Lenz, and Lynne Tatarowicz. We had one ten-year honoree who received a special certificate and an engraved frame including a photograph of the handler and dog: Nan Muska.

Janine Monico rebuilt our website and contributes her expertise and talent as our webmaster. She also advises us on how to use social-media effectively and has guided us in employing our website blog as a way to reach the public and make our website more interactive.

Lynn Lenz has been our public library coordinator since 2014. She works with the librarians at the Free Library of Northampton Township and Southampton Free Library to keep our “Read to the Dogs” program running smoothly.  Lynn also collaborates with the librarians to organize the annual summer reading program for children in kindergarten through grade six. In addition, she schedules therapy dog teams and is on site to monitor the visits.

Lynne Tatarowicz and her Basset Hound, Oberon (better known as Obie), have visited classes at Quarry Hill Elementary in the Pennsbury School District for the last five years. They were much loved by their classes and were also very popular with all the students at Quarry Hill who would see Obie trotting down the hall with his long ears flopping on his way to class.  Our ten-year honoree this year was Nan Muska who has worked with three dogs over the years. She joined Nor’wester Therapy Dogs in 2009 with Jillian, a black Lab mix who was a refugee from The Seeing Eye.  Jillian had a talent for working with special education classes and was an extremely sensitive and intuitive therapy dog. Sadie, a purebred black Lab, was known for being very laid back and did anything you asked her to do. . . after she thought about it for a few minutes.  Penny, a Golden Retriever, is another refugee from The Seeing Eye.  Penny also does most of her work with special needs children and has been known to sense and interrupt seizures in her multiple disabilities class. This spring Nan started working with her newest dog, April, also a black Lab.  April is learning the ropes and is currently figuring out what her job is in the classroom she’s visiting.

Our volunteers look forward to our gathering each year. They enjoy talking with and meeting new members.  Nor’wester Therapy Dogs wouldn’t be the successful and respected organization it is without our wonderful group of volunteers dedicating so much time to making a difference in the classrooms they visit.  If YOU have a well socialized dog and love working with children, why not think about joining us!

Free eye exams!? Yes, many of our Nor’wester therapy dogs were fortunate to receive free sight-preserving screenings in May.

Each year the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO) collaborates with StokesRx to offer free ocular-screening eye exams to qualified service, working, and therapy dogs.  This philanthropic event benefits formally trained service, working, and therapy dogs who support the well-being of the individuals they serve. 

ACVO board-certified diplomates and StokesRx, with other sponsors and non-profit supporters, have been offering this service for eleven years.  Dr. Bill Miller, the founder of the program, recognized the good that was being done by so many veterinary ophthalmologist specialists who were already donating eye exams, and he decided to create a national platform to help expand these individual efforts.

Approximately 67,625 animals have received these free screening exams over the past eleven years, and over 300 veterinary specialists volunteer their time and facilities annually. About 8,000 eye exams are provided across America, Canada, and Puerto Rico each May.

The program’s goals are to:

1. Preserve the sight of those who serve us selflessly.
2. Strengthen referral relationships with general practice veterinarians.
3. Benefit those who rely on service animals, both individuals and society.

Dr. Martha Low, board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist at CARES in Middletown, has been a participant in this program for years.  “I love participating in this event,” says Dr. Low. “It allows us to really see the impact of our work and provides screening for early detection of ocular diseases. With early detection, diseases that can potentially cause blindness may be caught early and treated early, helping these important service animals keep their vision.”  During the exam, Dr. Low first performs indirect ophthalmoscopy to evaluate the retina, optic nerve, and back of the eye.

Then she uses a slit lamp biomicroscope to examine the eyelids, cornea, iris, and lens for cataracts.  Many aging dogs with cloudiness in their eyes actually have nuclear (lenticular) sclerosis and not cataracts.

After the exam, all dogs receive a complimentary neck bandana. Heidi and Hannah happily pose wearing their bandanas, with Dr. Low’s vet tech who assisted in the exam.

The Nor’wester Therapy Dog organization wishes to thank Dr. Low, CARES, and the ACVO/StokesRX collaboration that provides such a valuable service.  Remember, if YOU have a working service or therapy dog next spring, you are eligible to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity.