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Mothers Love Greyhounds |
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VoI 11, issue 1 |
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May 2006 |
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FAYE WITH FIVE BEDS By Lisa Bentson When I decided I wanted to adopt, one group turned me down since I travel 3-4 days, twice a month. I decided to try again. The logic was that a Greyhound would be happier with me than in a crate, even if I travel. Enter Denaire (Rigney) Walker of SoCalGAL. She told me to go to the Del Mar Fairgrounds and meet Faye. SJ Flyaway AKA Faye is from the Tucson track. It was love with at first sight. Not long afterwards, Denaire called and said she was on her way over with Faye... eeek! Off to Petco for a quick shopping trip, then Costco for their wonderful dog beds. I figured we'd need at least 2 to get started. When I travel, Faye has a live in buddy, Alicia, a massage therapist who has just finished an animal massage course. Then there is "Love Puppy" (aka Pat) who lives 3 blocks away and has only selected pups welcome in her home. Ms. Faye and I adjusted brilliantly to each other and she became the most important living thing in my life. On Faye's first Birthday with me, I gave her a middle name, mine of course. So now my darling is officially Faye Ann Bentson. I do tend to do the parent thing - when she is not responding to me I refer to her as "Faye Bentson!!!" Enter my friend Kim, offering to make Faye a special bed for a special place in our home where she can see both the front and back door. What a beautiful 3rd bed made of fleece, pink on one side and powder blue on the other. Kim even stitched her name on the pink side. Now if you count the couches, my bed, guestroom bed, etc., we are beyond 5, but Faye with Five Beds sounds really good! The real reason I'm writing this is that I'd like to offer some alternatives to the names that are given to our wonderful hounds’ actions and body parts. May I respectfully suggest that we consider re-naming the following? Needle Nose: Dear Faye is a red Fawn and her nose looks like a Banana, hence she is my dear sweet "Banana Nose". Cockroach, oh Please!!! Is there really anything about our Greyhounds that is even remotely like a cockroach Eeeewwww! When Faye Bentson does her upside down position she is my "Pineapple Upside-Down Cake! Faye and I just graduated from Therapy Dog training. She is 8 and I am ... She does everything perfectly because she is a greyhound. The training was really for me. There is a great organization called "Love on a Leash" (loveonaleash.org), and our local group partnered with Rancho Coastal Humane Society (in Encinitas). Faye and I are looking forward to becoming weekly regulars at a Retirement Home just 2 blocks from my office in Carlsbad. Bless them all! PET THERAPY By Carrie Harden Wondering how to team up and create a closer bond with your ex-racer? Looking for a way to give back to your local community? Do you want to bring some happiness and enlighten someone’s day with your tall dog? Try Pet Therapy!!! This is a very cool volunteer program that provides folks in hospital and nursing home settings a friendly visit from our canine family members. Animal therapy is a proven program to help create a positive experience, big smiles, and interactions, with the young, elderly, mentally challenged, and ill. The approval process can seem a bit overwhelming at first, but now looking back at it, it was not all that difficult. You will need to spend some time with your Greyhound developing basic obedience skills. Our ex-racers have a naturally calm demeanor, so the breed easily adapts to the requirements of the program. Here is a quick description of what it took to be accepted into the Pet Therapy program. ▪ Indy and I took a basic obedience class about 4 months after his rescue. He learned how to sit, down, stay and come. Luckily his past race life had him trained to walk on a leash with out pulling. Good boy! ▪ After that, we took an AKC Canine Good Citizen (CGC) prep class with a certification test at the end. The Pet Therapy program requires an obedience certification prior to final Therapy evaluation. CGC is a step beyond basic obedience, in which the dog must show some social skills with greeting and approaching neutral dogs. ▪ I then attended a day workshop with the local OC Pet Therapy group, which defined the specifics of what Pet Therapy is, and is not. Then I went on an observation visit with other Pet Therapy dogs (without Indy) to see how it is done. The visits are a maximum of 2 hours, and ours lasted just over an hour. We visited an adult day care center. The clients were all seated in a big room and the dogs went around and greeted everyone. It was OK that not everyone wanted to pet a dog, no big deal. It was truly amazing to see the clients perk up, smile, and reach out. They would talk to the dogs, and about the pets they have had. They were so thankful to have the dogs visit…what a good feeling to help folks feel a bit of joy, and of course the therapy dogs appreciated all the attention!! ▪ The next step is the actual Pet Therapy evaluation. I had to provide a small pile of application paperwork which included, policy and procedure agreements, an open book test, recent Vet exam with updated vaccine tests, proof of obedience test, and a general questionnaire about you and your dog. The team evaluation had two parts, one is the skills test which was very similar to the CGC test. The second was the aptitude test which helped better define what type of facility the dog is best suited for. They had folks in wheel chairs, walkers, and with canes, to see what kind of reaction the dog would have. They also did a group pet hug, in which Indy had about 5-6 folks all wanting to pet him all at once. The important part of this portion is to show that the handler has control of the dog, provides a team effort, and to ensure Indy was comforted in an awkward situation, minimizing the potential for doggy stress. Indy did just fine, looking into my eyes for support as he got more attention than he ever had all at once! Some dogs might be better suited to visit individual hospital rooms, which is fine too rather than a room of folks, but that is what the evaluation is for, to best place the dog in a comfortable situation. ▪ The last step is to mentor with an experienced handler. Indy and I are eagerly awaiting our first opportunity to visit a facility with someone who can help guide us and answer our questions. After 3 mentor visits we are free to go visit! For more detailed information, references, contacts and details, please visit these web sites: Local Orange County Pet Therapy Group: www.petpartnersoforangecounty.org For the National Delta Society Pet Therapy Organization: www.deltasociety.org Info on Canine Good Citizen: www.akc.org/events/cgc/index.cfm NOTE FROM EDITOR: Several of our volunteers picked up information at the recent America’s Family Pet Expo in Orange County from Therapy Dogs of Southern California (therapydogsofsocal.org). Also, check out your local animal shelters as many have active pet therapy groups.
YOU KNOW YOU’RE A GREYHOUND OWNER WHEN… By Shasta Wilson
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Walk Around the Lake Come join our Wednesday night walks. We meet at Lake and Barranca in the Waters parking lot in Irvine at 6PM. Our scenic stroll around North Woodbridge Lake takes about an hour. Everyone is welcome. |
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Submit an article for publication. Send your story and pictures to: Editor, Needle Nose Notes 4857 Royce Road, Irvine, CA 92612 or, e-mail to:
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Contributions and donations are always welcome. Please send to: Needle Nose Crew P.O. Box 3012, Laguna Hills, CA 92654-3012 for more information e-mail to:
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