Bizz Buzz Blog #5

For this blog I would like to focus on a particular story reflecting how Equine Therapy has helped people. A boy by the name of Luke Rodgers was born with a serious disease; most babies that have this don’t even come to full term and are miscarried. He was one of the very few that made it to birth or even survived after birth. Although his family was overjoyed at his being born, there were a lot of difficulties. He was unable to walk and had no coordination; on top of all this he developed Leukemia. Three years later Luke miraculously overcame Leukemia, but still could not walk by the age of six. His parents heard of Equine Therapy and decided to give it a try, after six weeks of therapy he started walking. Now, one year later he is seven years old and still going strong, his walking has improved and should continue to do so.

During the TV interview the therapist was talking about what makes Equine Therapy successful. She said that it gives people the feeling of motion and going forward, and it also give the therapist a chance to work on other coordination exercises such as handing back and forth a ball. Another great attribute is the excellent balance skills the child is acquiring because while the horse is in motion they have to sit steady. These are all things that babies normally learn while developing, but in cases like this these skills need to be taught and practiced in controlled environments. One of the best parts is children have fun during this therapy, they don’t even know what it is, and simply think they are going out for a “play day”. This concept proved true in Luke's life, he always has a huge smile on his face when he's with the horse.

What do you think about horses helping babies’ motor skills through their motion? In your opinion, is this a legitimate statement?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d43KDtqxRTY

Bizz Buzz #4

I have talked a lot about how animals have helped humans and the therapy they are capable of contributing. This article will go into how this is all possible through volunteers and their animals. I will be specifically focused on American Humane Association, they specialize in Animal Assisted Therapy, Humane Education, and Training and Behavioral problems for animals. Their programs include Service for the Community, Handler Training, Team Evaluation, Practitioner Training and TASK Program. They offer help in Veterans Homes, Hospitals, Education and long term care. 

 Some examples of how these animals help people. Handlers may take their certified cat to an old folks home, people there really enjoy these animals' company. They don't ever go anywhere and some of them may have had to leave their animals upon admittance to the nursing home. Peter Lopatin wrote an article just about animals and nursing homes, he said that animals put the "home" back into nursing homes. This kinda gives a picture as to how important these animals are to elderly people. There are countless situations where these animals are used, another place would be a children's hospitals. Most of these kids are to weak to interact normally and having a soft cat to play with for a while really brings their spirits up.


They are in need of volunteers who own gentle animals to join their team, but they don't let anybody join. These individuals and their animals must be qualified and pass all the screenings and evaluations. Following are the qualifications for this volunteer opportunity:

• Expected Behavior Checklist, this is used to determine the animals readiness to become a therapy animal.
• Complete the handler training course, this ensures the owner has the knowledge required. This is a 2 day training course and is required.
• Pass the team evaluation, this check to see if the animal has what it takes to provide therapy. For example, they have to make sure the dog is not aggressive, it has patience,and is affectionate towards strangers.
• Complete registration, this simply entails making everything official.  

 Once all these things have been passed, they are ready to officially join the team and begin volunteer work. A mandatory requirement is that when volunteering they must always have current health certification papers and vaccination records. This is a big deal for this society due to the possible safety risks of sick or elderly people being around these animals. Overall, these volunteers find their life very satisfying knowing that they are helping other people on a daily basis. There is nothing like being able to make someone smile. "A friendly look, a kindly smile, one good act, and life's worthwhile." ~ Author Unkown


Question: Would you rather live your whole life pleasing yourself? Or would you rather take that time to make someones day worth living?
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American Humane Association URL:  http://www.americanhumane.org/interaction/programs/animal-assisted-therapy/about/

Bizz Buzz #3

There are a lot of service animals, but unlike dolphins and horses, dogs can actually live with their owner and provide assistance in more ways than just therapy. Some things these dogs assist humans with would be guide dogs for the blind, retrieving items, helping handicapped people walk, dogs for the deaf, and emotional support. The Canine Society in Georgia trains and provides these dogs free of charge to qualified candidates across the country. Mann says, "People often cry when they inquire about the dogs and discover they are free". According to the "Mother and Child" Organization, "The actual cost per dog is almost $19,000, including training, board, feeding, veterinary care and the cost of bringing the recipient to Georgia. Canine Assistants, like many service-dog training organizations, currently has a waiting list of clients.

There are a lot of success stories about these service animals, in a particular situation someones life supply turned off and the dogs who was trained to turn on switches, flipped the life supply back on and saved the owners life. A child who had seizure disorders and would not go into public because they felt alone started going places regularly because they always had their dog with them. Another child who was crippled and had braces started being able to walk with the help of their dog for stabilization, which would also help him in case he fell when no one was around. Other things these animals can do in general is, guide blind people safely through dangerous situations, notify deaf people of someone at the door, retrieve items such as keys, pull them in a wheelchair, and provide 24/7 companionship. 

Along with the many benefits to the disabled person, these animals have also been a relief to the family members. For a moment, put yourself in their position, having to be with that person everywhere they go, to the store, school, church, social events, and the list goes on. Not that this is a bad thing, but it can become tiring to both individuals. To be able to have a reliable animal that one can trust and always make sure they are safe has been a huge blessing and relief to these families. A study by Elcock says, "The presence of a dog results in a significantly reduced number of hours of paid and family-provided assistance needed for the activities of daily living". Thanks to the devotion of these amazing animals, disabled people have more confidence, self esteem, and have become almost completely independent able to live their lives as if the didn't have any disabilities.

Do you think that there should be more funding for societies to train these dogs? Should it become more common such as a disability check from the government?

 

Animal Therapy

Bizz Buzz #2


There are a lot of animal assisted therapy programs, but none so unique as the "Mother and Child" organization. Their goal is to get mentally challenged children caught up to the "normal" mental capacity of a child their age. They use traditional therapy animals such as horses and dogs, but what makes them set apart is that they also have a dolphin rehabilitation program for children. According to them, swimming with dolphins is an excellent source of therapy; it is exciting, unusual, an adventure and relaxing. The dolphin lagoon is located in Florida, the environment is almost poetic, with the sun shining, sounds of dolphins, and warm blue water, it is impossible not to feel happy and relaxed when around these creatures.

I personally think that dolphins, dogs, and horses are amazing for children that are physically impaired or mentally challenged. A true story comes to mind; there is a teenage boy who has been blind from birth. Amazingly he roller blades, runs, and acts completely normal, you’re probably thinking, "He must have a companion animal", but he does this without the assistance of anyone or anything. He clicks using his tongue and listens for the echo back, just like dolphins use sonar to help them see. This boy found a connection with dolphins because he could relate to them. Even though this is not technically "therapy", he still developed a like for these creatures simply because they used similar communication patterns. I tell this story because if an independent boy can feel a connection with dolphins even though he is blind, then any child can spend time with these creatures and start to emulate their peaceful behavior patterns and self confidence as they slip through the water. Swimming with dolphins is said to be magical and a motivator for children. This is true in the case of Alex, who has cerebral palsy. When Alex was younger, his mom was told that he wouldn’t walk again and that he would be in a vegetative state. He has been attending Dolphin Human Therapy yearly since he was 3 years old. "Therapists are amazed to see the progress he’s made considering how damaged he is," says his mom. "It’s absolutely amazing." (Mother and Child, webpage)

As can be seen, these creatures of the sea have become a “lifesaver” for some families and the lives of their children. Who would have ever thought that one day we would be using mammals out of the sea to help small innocent children. I think this is an amazing concept and one that I hope will continue to grow and become a new alternative source of therapy.

Do you think dolphins have the capability of picking up signals of emotion from these children and acting more friendly towards them particularly?

Mother and Child Link:  http://www.motherandchildngo.org/animal-pet-therapy.html


Bizz Buzz #1

Equine Therapy has been found to greatly improve the behavior and outlook of troubled kids and youth. I have a special interest in this because I had horses during the time that my family had a lot of issues, which affected the lives of my siblings and me. Being around the horses really helped me to escape reality for a time and feel what it’s like to spend time with something that doesn’t become angry at you and verbally lash out. I have found it interesting how these horses are exceptionally gentle towards certain children. Since that interest I have observed that horses have a connection with certain people, specifically those that have emotional problems, feel lonely, or really need something they can trust.

People have to earn horses trust and cooperation. At “Equine Therapy, animal assisted therapy” they will direct you to the closest Equine Therapy facility that will help kids learn the process of what it means to have trust and be trusted. These facilities let children interact with horses, it helps them learn patience and trust with the reward of cooperation. Equine Therapists say that being able to feel the rough main, soft nose and fuzzy fur stimulates the kids’ senses and helps bring them out of their introverted environment. Eventually after the kids are comfortable being around the horses they are allowed to lead and ride them. This is very good for teaching the kids that they must have patience to get results and acting kindly works much better than yelling and “going to extremes”. Most families that the youth come from deal with situations in an opposite manner. Some people may worry and ask, “Is it safe for my child to be around these large animals”? All these horses are usually older retired horses that are calm; they have also been trained and tested to make sure they are okay around kids.

 Equine Therapy has only seen positive results, and the results are much faster than the routine therapy appointments where they are pressured and put on the spot to talk for an hour. Kids start to feel overwhelmed when they have to sit in therapy sessions all the time. They do not experience this when around the horses, instead it is and environment at their own pace where they are physically interacting with something where they see immediate results.

Do you think Equine Therapy actually helps troubled kids? Or is it just a myth that people believe who like horses?

Link: http://www.equine-therapy-programs.com/aspergers.html