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?