Marley is the best medicine!

Marley is the best medicine!

We went on our scheduled therapy visit last night. Sometimes I forget how much impact a visit from a dog can have on people.

Last night we visited the same Alzheimer's patients. Many of these are the same patients we have visited for a year. I've been frustrated thinking our recreation therapist didn't really understand our purpose there. Last night, however, was different.

We had been making our usual rounds when we found a few people in the dining room. We went in and Marley and I went from one person to the next to say hello while she let people love on her. Marley likes to perform her tricks for people and the rec therapist kept telling everyone that Marley would do some tricks. She set the people's chairs up in a small circle around Marley and I. Marley did some sit ups, high 5's, and spins, and twirls, and all that. When I asked her to roll over, she did her very distinctive plop down and roll over! One woman started laughing and laughing. It was if she thought it was the funniest thing she had ever seen.

We've seen this woman before and she never speaks. She does always want to pet and visit with Marley and she's always with her roommate who appears to be her best friend. Last night, she separated herself. We visited and she made enough words for me to understand her questions about Marley. She laughed and smiled and grinned when Marley did tricks for her. She loved on her and Marley was a princess and loved every moment. Our rec therapist was amazed that this woman was laughing. In all the time she had been there, she had never heard her laugh. So we stayed and visited as long as Marley seemed comfortable. When it got time for us to leave, the woman commented that Marley seemed tired. In truth, Marley was fine, but it was a good time to leave.

Our rec therapist now wants to make a special effort to visit this particular patient. I think she now has a better understanding of the impact Marley can have on people. If my girl can provide a source of laughter, Marley really is the best medicine. We'll have a camera with us next visit so the rec therapist can take some pictures to put in People's rooms. I'm not allowed to take pictures of my baby girl when she's working but the facility sees some value in taking some pictures to put up in people's rooms to remind them of the dog that comes there to visit.

Marley is my very special girl. She has a way to know who is going to benefit from her love and affection. She's always happy to do some tricks and her Roll Over is the funniest thing I have ever seen! It takes a special dog to be a good therapy dog and Marley has proven herself to be wonderful at her job. She may never be the athlete and character the Dylan is. He tends to get a lot of attention when we are out and about. He's a strikingly handsome boy with a lot of personality. Sometimes I think he overshadows my little girl most of the time. Marley, however, proves time and time again that she's a wonderful little girl who has the ability to impact people in a very special way. Marley really is the best medicine!

Dog Videos!!!

I stole this idea from my friend R3K9s. She recently posted some videos of her backyard agility star Maddie. Dylan's a backyard agility star too. I'd like him to be a real agility competitor but I just can't afford it. I'm a poor single girl with two very expensive dogs so getting up to trial level is not an option for us. We have some backyard agility equipment (including a training teeter, jumps, contact trainer, and ladder) and I'd like to add to my collection a tunnel (even a small one!) and some 2 X 2's for weave pole training and a Tire Jump. I have a plan for building the 2 X 2's and Tire jump but it seems money is always tight and I just can't afford to buy the stuff to make them. A table would be fun too.

I took these videos myself of us playing in the yard. It's hard to tell a dog what to do and video at the same time. Guess that's one big disadvantage to living alone. There's no one to videotape for you!

Marley is my trickster! She loves doing tricks and gets to do it a lot as a therapy dog. She had a hard time with her high five in the video which is odd becuase she was targeting to my hand instead of giving me a high five. Often she tries to offer a high five when I ask her to do a target to my hand that is out of her normal reach. LOL.

This is Leon at Flyball practice. This was only his 2nd or 3rd week training with me. He's doing quite well for a newbie dog. When I first thought about bringing him to flyball I was on another team. My club owner at the time said that there was no way he would play! Look at him go!! Some people seem like they just aren't willing to give all dogs a chance. Never underestimate the speed of a crazy curly coat! We still have a long way to go but I have high hopes for this boy!!

This is of Dylan at flyball practice. I have some actual tournament videos on Myspace but it won't let me embed them here. I had this video of him at practice but I was scolded for putting it online before without the club's authorization. Ever wonder why we changed clubs? I'm really glad to be with the new team! I wish I could have brought some of my old teammates with me though! It's much better for me and my dogs to be in a more positive environment!

UUATA Summer Picnic

We had a great picnic at Wheeler Farm last night. We got to walk and see all the animals and on the trails behind the farm. The dogs really enjoyed it but Marley was sure scared of the sheep. She's obviously not your average border collie! LOL. They wanted to sniff her through the fence but she would go sniff them and then back off. I should have taken more pics but I took just a few when we were sitting around on the grass!

Dylan did not get to go because there were too many dogs. They were all on leashes but for some reason therapy dog people forget that it's common courtesy to ask before letting your dog approach another one. I had to ask multiple people to keep their dogs away from Marley. I used her recent injuries as an excuse but mostly I'm just worried that dumb people will misinterpret her vocalizations as aggression. She was a bit stressed out though with all the other dogs so it was only half a lie.

Marley was a stinker and took a bit out of my hamburger while I was sitting on the ground eating it. I guess all that nasty ground beef got the best of her. Gotta admit it was a bit funny. I turned my head from that burger in my hand for one split second and she grabbed a piece as fast as she could thinking I may not notice. LOL.

We were happy that Paul and Leon were able to join us for a few before Paul had to head out for work. It was nice to spend a little bit of time with them.

I was really sad when one of the women hit her therapy dog last night. She smacked him hard enough that I heard it from 75 feet away. I couldn't believe that she did that. It is really unfortunate that someone involved with a group that's all about promoting the gentle kindness of animals feels that it's necessary to be so hurtful to her own dog. I think she was trying to get him to sit but I was far enough away that I can't be sure. Leash popping isn't even supposed to be allowed in testing so I am not sure why no one said anything about it. I guess I can't really talk because I didn't say anything either. I just stood there feeling very bad for her dog. If she does that in public, can you imagine what she does in the privacy of her own home?

Overall it was a good picnic though. I just have to block the thought of that person hitting their dog. Most the therapy animal people are really wonderful and focused on what services their animals can provide to others. I really have lots of respect for them since so many volunteer so much more time than I do!!

WW Marley the therapy dog.

This isn't a great pic. It's a little blurry. I took when we were in the waiting room last night at the place we visit. I need to take my real camera next week because the rec therapist wants me to give her some pictures of Marley. I thought it would be nice to take a picture of the three of us (rec therapist, Marley, and myself) and then print it for her.

Working with Alzheimer's...

We had an interesting visit last night to a local Alzheimer's center. Marley was squeaky clean and dressed in her therapy dog garb. She was excited to go. She was a little stand offish with some of the patients but it was her first visit in a while. Hopefully within a few visits she will get back to feeling comfortable enough to snuggle up with the people who are very different than those she interacts with daily.

Last night Marley showed some stress signals with the woman who was reaching out to her and mumbling very loudly. Three months ago Marley would have been snuggled up with her. The woman seemed ecstatic about the presence of an animal. I couldn't understand her but I understood that she was excited about having a dog nearby. She got louder and louder and her excitement level rose. Unfortunately this made Miss Marley nervous and she could only tolerate this for a few minutes and we had to move on. Luckily, I was armed with treats and rewarded her for being calm in the presence of someone that made her a bit nervous.

I had a very interesting conversation with a woman who seemed so lost. She tried to hook me up with her son that lived in North Carolina. He's single and handsome and young and I am guessing 20 years older than me. LOL. She gave me his full name and then spelled it (she did this with her own name too) and then asked me if I knew him? Logic would tell a person that some random stranger would not know her son that lived all the way across the country. Often times, it seems logic never comes into play for the Alzheimer's patients. It makes my heart ache when I think about these people were once functional members of society like myself. This woman was so lost that she said she was in North Carolina and can she stay here because she doesn't want to burden her son any longer. I told her yes that she was welcome to stay and she asked me to bring her some canned food so that she would have something to eat while she stayed here. I advised her that they would deliver her meals to her and that she had a roommate who we had just met in the hall. The woman seemed to have no recollection of having been there before or of the roommate that she had been living with for sometime.

I felt bad leaving her but Marley was ready to move on. She wanted to give me some phone numbers for her son and his address in North Carolina so I could stop by to visit him. It made me wonder if she ever had visitors from her family and I really hope they are not all the way across the country?

Visiting with Marley has put a lot of things in perspective for me. I feel guilt for not visiting my Grandma more often when she was old and unable to care for herself. She lived for years in and out of facilities much like the one we visit. She had multiple strokes and to my young and irresponsible self; visiting felt like a chore. She was old and grumpy and I can't help now but feel saddened that she didn't have enough family around her to keep her company. My mother was a saint and was there nearly every day. I never understood how she could give up so much time and energy for her mother who was always boring and grumpy. It felt impossibly selfless. I was in my early twenties and was self centered and focused on partying and having fun. Family wasn't a focus for me at that point in my life.

I'm glad to have these experiences at this point in my life. It puts things in better perspective. I've already grown much closer to my family in the past few years but it reminds me of the importance our family members play. I know now that I want to play the role that my mother played. I want to do everything I can when the time comes that my parents can no longer care for themselves. It no longer seems impossibly selfless. My parents gave up so much for me when I was young. There's no reason why I shouldn't do the same.

I really hope that the Alzheimer's patients we visit have children and family there sometimes to visit. We often run into family who love to play with my princess Marley. I hope the others get some visits too. If not, at least they get to occasionally love my little girl. Hopefully she will want to love them back too.

Marley's a working girl!

Marley finally got released by the vet to go back to work as a therapy dog. She started out strong on Sunday when she went to the Park Silly Market on Sunday. We worked in the UUATA as a representative for the group. She was a great therapy dog and let all the people and kids love on her. She performed lots of tricks for people and made me happy.

I had been worried about taking her out to such a busy place. She's been more stressed around other dogs than she was prior to getting injured. She did great though and I just made sure she kept a few feet distance from every dog there! Some of the other people with the group think I am crazy because I don't just want her to socialize with the other therapy dogs there. I think they are crazy for not understanding that it's not the best plan to just let your dog approach another without asking permission! Some people there seem to have very little knowledge of behavior and training. Oh well, my dog = my rules. She doesn't get to socialize when she is working. Mostly, I worry that uninformed people may mistake her vocalizations for aggression. People don't understand that a little girl with so many issues and so much pain - needs to communicate to other dogs that they can't jump all over her.

I'm glad that we are able to get back out and working. We are actually going out tomorrow evening for our first visit back at our facility. Marley was ecstatic when I got out her collar and bandana. She new that it was going to be her time to be the center of attention. I'm glad that she is finally ready to go back to doing the thing she seems to love so very much!

Miss Marley the Therapy Dog

Marley is a wonderful Therapy dog. I realized today that I haven't written much on this blog about that. I think it may be due to the fact that she's been on a break due to her recent injuries. I think it will be soon time for her to get back out there though. I tried to call our facility this week to make some plans but wasn't able to reach them. Hopefully we will be going back within the next few weeks.

We visit at an Alzheimer's center regularly. Last summer we had the privilege to visit a few friends in the hospital. The first visit Marley went on after we passed our certification was to a friend who was dying of Liver Cancer and complications related to Lupus. It was such an amazing visit with my co-worker and his wife. Unfortunately, my friend passed away before I was able to arrange another visit. We needed to be supervised at the hospital and because we were inexperienced. A wonderful woman from Utah Animal Assisted Therapy Association (www.uuata.org) took time out of her day so that Marley and I could bring some joy to a friend. He was a dog lover and used to regularly stop by my desk and update me on the latest funny thing that his dog did. He especially loved his little shih tzu and his border collie who he has now joined in death. It was an incredibly moving experience and one that I will hold close to my heart for many years to come. It's amazing how much impact an animal visit can have on someone. His eyes lit up when we arrived and I think he never stopped smiling the whole time that Marley lay in his bed with him. Marley was a wonderful girl and seemed to enjoy herself for quite a while. This was so impressive with a green therapy dog. Marley was a natural.

A few weeks later, the founder of my rescue group had a very severe stroke. She was hospitalized and in ICU for several days. I was able to arrange another supervised visit to a completely different hospital within just a few hours. The other volunteers with this organization are all so wonderful and giving. They understand how valuable animals are in so many people's lives and only want to do what they can to help people in need. The above picture was taken on the visit where my very green dog did another excellent job as a working therapy dog. Emily had hardly moved in the two or three days since the stoke. But she did a good job of petting Miss Marley.

To be able to provide this service for a woman who is responsible for saving the lives of literally thousands of animals over the past 20 years is an incredible privilege. I feel so lucky to have had this opportunity. Since she was obviously an animal lover, having a dog visit at the hospital was the ultimate experience. She is a big cat person in her later years of life. We were lucky that another woman in our organization has a blind (and also rescued) cat that is a therapy animal too. So over the days that she was in the hospital, "Dare Devil" and his handler/owner were able to visit several times as well.

Marley seems to understand the needs of the people she visits. She snuggles closer to the ones that need it most and backs of the ones who enjoy seeing her at a distance. She performs tricks like a circus performer and does so with extreme joy. She is ecstatic when I get out the backpack and put on her therapy garb. She's not super stoked about the grooming but she tolerates it well with a few rewards for good behavior. She walks into our regular facility now with excitement. This is her time to shine and she knows it. There's no big brother Dylan to overshadow her and take the limelite. She is the center of attention from the time we walk in the door til the time we leave. She gets all the love and attention and brings joy to other's in the process. No wonders she seems to enjoy her job as a Therapy Dog. She's found her niche in life.

I can't wait to get her back out there and working. I know she's probably wondering why we haven't been to this special place where she gets lots of treats and lots of people love her. The place where some of the people seem different but Marley knows better than to judge them on their appearance. Because all in all, they are people and they deserve to have dogs love them too.

Taking a break from AAT.

We haven't been to our regularly scheduled Animal Assisted Therapy visit for over a month now. I missed the last visit because it was the day after Puck died. We were scheduled to go again today but Marley is not in any condition to be working right now. I finally got in touch with the Activities director at the place that we visit. We are planning on taking at least the next month off.

Marley needs to have ample time to heal. I also want to make sure she wasn't so traumatized by this whole thing that she will react so negatively towards other dogs if we meet them there. She went to flyball practice with me on Sunday and seemed a bit grumpy. I never really want her to interact with other dogs when on the job but it seems we always run into them. I may have to make it more clear that I need to know if other dogs are in the building before we go in to visit.

Marley is generally pretty vocal when she first meets new dogs. I figure it's her way of telling them that she has pain in her back and hips and so she's not able to roughhouse with them. Other than that, she does really well with other dogs. I really hope that will still be the case after she heals from all this!!