Dolores (better known as Kelly) Wolff and her Shih Tzu, Miss Daisy, have been part of the Nor’wester Therapy Dog organization for the past eleven years. Kelly learned about our canine assisted learning program from another therapy dog handler while volunteering at Abington Hospital. Because Miss Daisy loves children so much, Kelly decided to join…
“IDEAS FOR INCORPORATING ANIMAL-ASSISTED INTERVENTIONS” (taken from 101 Creative Ideas for Animal Assisted Therapy by Stacy Grover) LET’S TALK: A therapy dog team working under the direction of a professional can facilitate discussion on many topics. Commonalities: This is a very powerful metaphoric tool in the hands of skilled therapists. Using carefully selected children’s literature…
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…
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…
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 27th and ran weekly on Thursdays through August 8th. Therapy dogs were provided by the Nor’wester organization…
“I truly do not think there is enough time in my lifetime to fully express how much Kerrigan and Cathy Guenzel have made a difference in my classroom this year. As I type this, I am preparing the room for our “Last Day with Kerrigan” celebration. For our celebration, each student will be receiving a…
By Heather Wade, Holland Elementary, Council Rock School District Therapy dog Jingles, owned and handled by Joyce McGettigan, went right to the head of the classroom when he entered. We think he knew it was the best way to see all the kids at once. He pretty much pushed the teacher out of the way…
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One of the most frequent questions we get is from owners who want to know how they can get their dog certified to work as a registered therapy dog. We have learned over the years that the most important thing is a well socialized dog. Proper socialization creates a relaxed, confident, well-adjusted, and happy canine,…
By Carol VanSant One therapy dog job that almost everyone is familiar with is to help people manage grief. It doesn’t matter whether it is a large tragedy or an individual personal loss, therapy dogs help alleviate the pain. If you have done any reading about the benefits of therapy dogs, you may know that…