Time to say Good-Bye (part 1)

Hello and welcome all to my second last blog!  It has been a long journey for all of us since the beginning of Feburary, and it is hard to believe that the good-bye's have finally come, especially for all of us, since we are in grade 12. Both you and I have learnt a lot through these blogs, myself especially, therefore I wanted to take these last two to say good-bye and just give a reminder of what we have learnt together, as a class.

We have all learnt that animals have health benefits for their human counter-parts, especially those who may be challenged in some way. We have learnt that together, with animals the help of animals, everyone can reach different goals, that are set to be achieved.  Everyone now knows that "Hippo-therapy" does not actually mean therapy with Hippos, that is actually horse therapy.  That the horse's movement under the rider permits the rider to feel the full motion in their hips of what it would be like for the rider to actually walk on their own on solid ground. The difference between a service animal and therapy animal is not the training, but the certification, all of these animals are very well trained to offer help, but therapy animals don't need to be certified.

There are also all those strange or more unique service and therapy animals.  Redrock the Boa Constrictor who alerts his owner to oncoming seizures, Capuchin monkeys to help the paraplegic, or Sadie the Parrot who helps with her owners panic attack.  Who knew llamas and alpacas could make so many people laugh and have fun, or that dolphins could have such amazing healing and helping capabilities?  I have said it before and I will say it again, all of these unusual service and therapy animals have definitely stepped up to the plate in terms of helping society, whether it be the old, the handicapped, or those fighting terminal illness, these animals have helped in the only way they could.

Emotional Support Animals

Emotional support animals are an important part of everyday life for some people.  Support animals do not require much training as opposed to service animals who are required to be trained, for example, to guide or be someone's ears for them.

Support animals main jobs are to offer companionship, emotional support and are a comforting force to their owner or handler.  These animals are not taught to support full disabilities like a service animal. The owner with the support animal may be in some way mentally or psychotically challenged, but not completely handicapped and therefore the animal is not dealing with the complete weight of a disability. Meaning they are still able to perceive many things, but may not be able to handle it somehow. That is where the support animal is important in keeping their owner "grounded", I guess you could say.  

In order to get a support animal however, the person is required to have a note of referral from his or her doctor suggesting that they should get a service animal.  They must then go through a matching process so as to match the owner and animal as best as possible.

Unfortunately, support animals are not granted the same access as the service animals are.  That is unfortunate because these animals are just important to their owners as service animals are.  They are there to help their owners, and it seems almost as if, because they are not trained as rigorously as service animals, that they are not to be trusted as much. I think they should be trusted. Just because they lack the strict training of service animals, does not mean that they are not trained.  In fact, the Canadian Service Dog Foundation trains all their dogs and cats to behave properly and support their owner before they are matched, therefore there is a small chance of anything going wrong.

All the information provided here can be found at: Emotional Support Animals.

K-9 Units (Police Dogs)

Today I thought I would talk about a different type of service animal all together, one who serves everyone, rather than just one person.  I thought this would be a good idea because, these service animals sometimes go unrecognized for their duties.  Duties that I might add, are very dangerous, and yet they risk their lives anyway to keep us safe.  The service animals I am talking about are police and border patrol dogs (K-9 units).  I have the privilege of knowing a few because of where I work, and it is incredible the commitment, the training and the respect that goes into these amazing dogs.  

A K-9 unit is typically made up of one dog (canine/ K-9) and one handler.  The dogs and handlers are constantly together, whether it be on the job, training or at home. Therefore, these dogs are very loyal to their handler and they have formed some sort of bond with them.

Both handler and canine have a job.  They work together to get that job done. Their job requires them to be able to find lost people or criminals, search for drugs or explosives, alcohol and contraband

The reason that dogs are so effective on the job is that their sense of smell of a dog is much greater than ours, approximately 1000 to 10 000 000 times better depending on the breed.  Not only do they have a great nose, but their hearing is also really good.  Dogs can hear things up to 4 times further than humans can. They can also hear things at a higher frequency or pitch than us.  (Dog Senses)  

Their training also plays a big part in why they are so great at their jobs. For certain situations, they are taught that when they find any illegal substances such as drugs or alcohol, or fruits and vegetables (typically when crossing the border), they will be rewarded with a favorite toy.  They must train multiple hours a week to maintain the dogs title as an officer.

It is nice to know that because of how sensitive they are, they are keeping everyone safe and everything under control.

The horses (part 2 of my own, personal therapy animals)

Before I introduce to you, my friend and her horses, I would like you to know a little story behind why I was fearful, nervous and/or anxious around certain horses.  I used to work (and volunteer) at a riding facility, where a new horse had just arrived the night before.  It was early July, and there were summer camp kids who would be arriving shortly, and my boss had asked if I could bring the new guy out to the pasture.  She had told me he was "a little pushy," but overall a good guy and that if I didn't feel up to it, she could bring him out while I grabbed another horse.  I was fine with bringing him out.   Anyway, as I was approaching the pasture, there were some guys fixing one of the fences and they had started a drill.   Not knowing what to do when the horse decided to spook (half rear and backing away-due to the fact of being a prey animal), I held onto the lead line.  Once I managed to calm the horse down, I put him in the field.  At this point my whole body was literally shaking uncontrollably, I looked down at my left hand, only to notice that I had a huge rope burn.  Only then, did I find out how terrifyingly strong horses are (and scary they could be when they were nervous and scared), and have since been very anxious and slightly nervous around most horses.  I did my best to get right back in there, handling the horse that had spooked, although at every tiny little thing he did wrong (which he didn't really do anything wrong, perhaps accidentally stepping on the back of my boot, or snorting-which would surprise me) I felt I was over reacting thus making things worse.  Not only did this experience affect how I was with horses on the ground, but also in the saddle.  When I rode, if the horse cantered too fast, or would spook at something I would immediately react and pull them back to walk or trot and would be scared to ask for more. (Stopping or slowing down a horse that is spooking is not the correct thing to do, as it is nurturing their fear of said object or item.  What you are supposed to do, is stay calm and urge them on, perhaps circling a few times near the "spook site" to show them that the object/item can't hurt them.)  The following is a video of the walk, trot and canter transitions (for those of you who may be slightly confused as I ramble on about things most non-horse people wouldn't know).

Anyway, when I first met my friend and her horses, it was winter and there was about 6 inches of snow on the ground, and I had barely ever ridden bareback (no saddle), and her mare (female horse), Kalypso (aka Kali) is strange with anybody besides her owner, but I got on and rode bareback, it was actually quite a bit of fun. I got to know her, and grew to love Kali, but she scarred me sometimes (mares are moody) and she would pull a few stunts every now and then, no big deal, I still rode her sometimes.

Kali and I getting to know each other.

Kali giving kisses.  

One thing I learnt is that no matter how mare-ish (moody) she can be, she is such a sweetheart and loves to give kisses.  The more comfortable I became with her, the more comfortable I felt with other horses.  

Beavis letting me sit backwards.  

  

Second time standing on Beavis (last fall).

Now, my friend's gelding (castrated male horse), Beavis, is the complete opposite of Kali, he doesn't spook, he's so laid back you might even call him a little lazy (although he's not really lazy, he usually responds to leg cues) because of his reluctance to move, and his constant obsession with grass (although it's kinda funny to see how many steps he'll take before trying to grab a bite).  Because of this however, I did things with him that I never thought possible, I gained confidence, became less nervous because he wasn't nervous (although it should be the other way around, him being calm because I am calm), I became a better rider (boy-o-boy is his trot the hardest thing to post or sit because he's so bouncy) and became less fearful of the things that could go wrong, instead I focused on the things that were going right.   All of that though, is what I would like to call the "Beavis Charm". Because of all the things just mentioned ( I must also mention my friend, as she is never lacking support and is kind enough to let my ride her horses, so THANK YOU!) I was able to stand up on a horse ( 3 or 4 times so far), ride a horse at a walk backwards (really awkward, but so much fun) and just have fun in general, whether it be cleaning stalls or playing with the horses.  

All in all, spending time with and around horses (including the barn, and the fresh air, as opposed to city air) as well as, Molaki, Jinx and Shelby gives me a sense of being at home.  The horses and my pets are like my personal therapy animals, there to make me laugh, cry (because I'm laughing so hard), let me think things through without any judgement and always there to offer comfort or anything else that I may need. Where there are animals is home, for me and that is something that will never change, ever.

Molaki, Jinx and Shelby (Part 1 of my own, personal therapy animals)

For today, I wanted to take a break from the official therapy and service animals and focus a little more on those closer to home.  A lot of people have a pet (or more than one) of their own, myself included, and I thought it would be more fun to write about my own pets. I have a dog, Molaki, 2 cats, Jinx and Shelby, 4 budgies, 3 brothers (just joking, or am I?) and my friends horses. In one of my first blogs I mentioned that our own pets are like our own personal therapy animals and this is why I think mine are for me.

Molaki jumping.
Photo credit goes to my
friend who took this, this
past summer.  

Molaki is a almost 9 year old Golden Retriever named after a Hawaiian island (courtesy of my mom who fell in love with Hawaii).  He is hilariously cute when you get mad at him, which in turn makes you laugh at him rather than staying mad at him, it really is impossible to stay mad at him.  He is great at relieving anxiety, because of his capability to make me laugh, especially after a long day.  He also likes to go for runs, which is often shown when he decides to bolt, like he did the other day.  What is really strange though, is that the other day, my brothers were out four wheeling with a few friends, and when they found him, he decided to run in the middle of the entourage of quads.  He also likes to have fun jumping and playing, which is nice, not only because you forget about your stress or anxiety, it also makes me more active, and when he is having fun, so am I.

Jinx on the fence.
The reason this made me
laugh so hard is because
of his lazy leg just dangling
there.

On the other hand, we have Jinx, my almost 2 years old domestic long hair cat who is constantly getting into trouble although it is not exactly his fault. I seriously shouldn't have named him Jinx.  Here is why, about a year ago, he most likely fell out of a tree, cut his leg on a branch (while falling down) and being distracted by the cut, didn't land properly on his leg.  He broke his right hind leg at the hip.  He ended up needing surgery, and the day after, not even ten minutes after getting home, he's trying to climb furniture, so we had to lock him in the bathroom where he wouldn't be able to hurt himself further.  He was deemed a "cone kitty" (which made him hilariously lovable) and during this time we discovered one of his many hidden talents.  He was able to take the cone off of his head.  Nursing him back to health was a very funny and short-lived (because he is so active) adventure.  I really got a kick out of him this past fall when he was sitting on a fence.  Because of his surgery, his right leg is a tad shorter than his left and he can be sometimes a little lazy with it.  Anyway, the way he was sitting on the fence was so adorable and funny that I had to run inside and grab my camera because it made me laugh so hard.

My sweet cat, Shelby is of the Domestic Short Hair breed (aka DSH) and is approximately 11 or 12 years old.  She is a hunter, although she is becoming old and arthritic and doesn't hunt as much anymore.   She is very sweet, and loves to cuddle if she knows you, but if she doesn't, have fun trying to find her.  She also has an odd little quirk, she loves to play on the stairs (which are carpeted).  She will literally "run" (or worm her way around) sideways on one stair, and then go to the next and do the same.  Very strange if you ask me, but very funny to watch (if I find a video, I will post it in a future blog), because it makes you wonder what she is playing with and why it seems to keep her occupied for such a long time.

Molaki, Jinx and Shelby are capable of making anyone want to laugh or cuddle, and they leave me, for the most part, stress free. It is days spent with my pets (and my friends) that I am the happiest.  They just seem to have a way of doing the silliest little things that, they somehow know, will get your attention.

Most Unusual Service and Therapy animals (part 2)

Hello all, and welcome back to part two of my blog about unusual service and therapy animals! I thought it would be a good idea to start were I left off, so I figured it would be best to recap the unusual service animals that we saw in my last blog. So far, I have shown to you, Redrock the Boa Constrictor (personally, I think I might be just a little worried and/or frightened for any owner if I saw a snake beginning to constrict around someones neck, even knowing if it was a service animal) , the Capuchin monkey (who knew monkeys could provide us with an extra set of hands), and Sadie the Parrot. All very unique service animals.

For this next animal, it is astounding how big, fluffy and furry they are, care to take a guess? I think, when I 

say this, it goes for most people, what a surprise it would be to see a llama and alpaca in a hospital visiting the elderly and various other floors with children and adults.  These two are Rojo (the llama) and Napoleon

(the aplaca) and no matter where they go, everyone seems to enjoy a good smile and laugh when they're around.  In the video, you will be able to see the 

impact they have, on everyone in the hospital whether

 it be the staff or the patients, as well as their owner, who is delighted with the reactions everyone has concerning these two silly looking animals. (All information is narrated in the clip)

Another impressive therapy animal are dolphins.  In Antalya Turkey, a doctor, by the name of Murat Kemaloglu, includes swimming with dolphins as a part of his patients therapy. ( Dolphin Therapy 1) Often the swim will encrease awareness to the world around him or herself.  Also, the sonic waves emitted by the dolphins play a huge roll in the physical and psychological healing process. (Dolphin Therapy 2)

Does anybody else find it interesting that dolphins have such capabilities when it comes to assisting and healing people?  Perhaps even more captivating that llamas and alpacas make great therapy animals?  These animals have caught my eye because of how unique and unheard of they are when it comes to the service and therapy animal world, and they have certainly given themselves a great job title, and made themselves at home with that title.

Most Unusual Service and Therapy Animals (part 1)

Have you ever thought of what the most unusual service and/or therapy animal may be? Go ahead, think about it, because the chances are, what you are about to read will blow your mind away.
Here's one strange but fascinating case.  A man by the name of Daniel Greene suffers from epilectic seizures. Prepare yourselves, because his service animal is a snake, and to be more precise, a Boa Constrictor. I am being absolutely serious with you right now, I know as impossible as it sounds, his Boa Constrictor, named Redrock, is able to detect when he is about to have a seizure.  He gives his owner a warning about the oncoming seizure by gently squeezing his owners neck. (Redrock the Boa Constrictor)  The following is a photo of Greene and his Boa Constrictor.

What do you guys think of monkeys? (Yes, an actual monkey, and not the next door neighbors kid that sometimes bounce off the walls).  How would you feel living with a monkey? The reason I ask is because, they are another one of those odities when it comes to service animals. Although they are typically with those who are restricted to wheel chairs (paraplegic) Capuchin monkeys make amazing service animals getting whatever the owner may need, whether it be the phone or some food, as well as helping with various other activities.  Here is a Capuchin monkey helping his owner. (Capuchin monkeys)

  I find parrots to be fascinating, mainly because of their ability to talk. A service parrot by the name of Sadie helps her owner calm down in times of stress.  Whenever Jim Eggers was having a psychotic attack, he would repeat to himself a few certain lines.  His parrot one day sensing the oncoming attack began repeating the lines to her owner (Jim) in the hopes of calming him down.  Here is Jim carrying Sadie in a modified backpack that contains her cage. (Sadie the parrot)

 I find it is absolutely incredible how these animals are capable of helping their owners!  Despite not being your typical service and/or therapy animal, I think they have certainly proven themselves in this line of work.