The Pot of Gold At The End... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35
down the hall, the child almost always says ëYeahí and is willing to do it. We see this kind of thing happen all the time. Children and adults are willing to do things for animals because itís fun.î
each facility they visit and always are accompanied by a staff member or a specially trained hospital volunteer. ìWhen visiting pediatrics or oncology in a hospital, we might be accompanied by a child life therapist or nurse. When visiting rehab, we might be accompanied by a physical therapist,î Burrows says. The staff member or volunteer provides the handler with the information he needs to know, i.e., if the patient just had surgery, has a port on his left side, etc.
Goal Directed Intervention
Simple activities like the above and the following are used to accomplish goals in the patientís treatment plan. ìIf youngsters have motor skill issues with their hands for example, then we ask them to throw a ball for the dog to fetch or to brush the dog,î Burrows says. The goals of each individualís treatment plan determine the activities done with the dog. ìWhen I visit Advocate Childrenís Hospital in Park Ridge, I might be asked to go to the Peds Intensive Care Unit. Once there, I might be told to visit a child coming out of surgery who has intense pain. The nurse might ask me to help the child manage his pain. My dog would be able to do that because stroking and petting dogs can lower stress hormones. My dog also serves as a distraction, while providing comfort at the same time. In these situations, the child often wonít use the pain pump at all during the time my dog interacts with him.î Rainbow handlers work closely with the staff at
Part Of The Treatment Plan
The animal assisted activities performed by Rainbow dogs are written into the treatment plans of the individuals with whom they interact. At Advocate Childrenísí Hospital in Park Ridge, they become part of the childís medical record, i.e., the accompanying staff member or volunteer takes notes on the outcome of the animal assisted activities which the dog was asked to perform. For example, if Burrows was instructed to try to stop a childís crying and her dog succeeded in doing it, it would be notated in the childís medical record. Rainbow dog and handler teams may be asked to do anything from making the medical experience less scary to dealing with end-of-life issues, i.e., they might be asked to distract a child having blood drawn or an ultrasound performed or to comfort a child with terminal cancer.
Rainbowís Dog Safety presentations reach more than 3000 students annually. In the photo above, second graders at Queen of Angels School in Chicago learn how to stay safe around dogs and not be bitten.
Given all they do, itís not surprising Rainbow dog and handler teams are trained extensively. ìEveryone is required to take our Introduction to Animal Assisted Therapy Course. It meets for four, 90-minute sessions and is for both the dog and handler,î Burrow says. ìIn it, we cover a lot of different components not the least of which are making sure the handler has adequate handling skills, and their dog has an appropriate temperament for performing animal assisted activities in a therapeutic setting. ìWe begin the course by introducing some of the different activities that handlers use during therapy sessions. We do this by teaching the activity ˇrst; then, explaining how to use it in a variety of programs. For example, we teach the dogs how to bowl. This activity could be used at a preschool program for youngsters learning colors or positioning. In that event, we might ask the child to place the red pin next to the blue pin or to arrange the pins in a triangle. We also do bowling for stroke victims in rehab, who need to regain motor skills.î (The activities the dogs perf orm are designed to encourage par ticipant interaction. In the case of bowling, itís more fun to do w hen competing with the dog . When the dogs motivate the person to participate in the activity, often, the person doesnít realize heís doing therapy.) After completing the introductory course, the dog and handler team is required to take the Rainbow registration test. It is based on the American Kennel Clubís Canine Good Citizen Evaluation but includes seven additional test exercises, i.e., being comfortable around medical equipment, taking a treat gently, etc. After the dog and handler team complete the class and pass the test, CONTINUED ON PAGE 236
Rainbow teams participate in Therapy Dog Reading Programs in libraries and schools. These programs provide children with an opportunity to practice reading aloud to a non-judgmental therapy dog. THE DOG NEWS ANNUAL • 202