August 2018 October 2018

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1 August 2018 October 2018 All the latest on what s happening in the world of autism, Asperger s and sensory issues! CANINE COMPANIONS: THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE YOU EMBARK Article By Marla Roth-Fisch, Peggy Kelley, MD and Veronica Morris, PhD Award-winning magazine! Proven success for 19 years CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE subscribe-now/ Call now

2 Canine Companions: Things You Should Know Before You EmBARK By Marla Roth-Fisch Peggy Kelley, MD Veronica Morris, PhD Not only are dogs man s best friend, but they, also, can be trained to save a life and, as such, could be considered everyone s best friend. Our four-legged buddies have an instinctive way of protecting people and love unconditionally. The dog may be cuddly, cute, playful, and down-right irresistible, but that is secondary when it comes to a trained dog, which has a primary, specific task of assisting in any challenges its owner may have. The trained dog must stay on task under any circumstances. A life could certainly be in the doggies paws. If you are in search of a therapy, emotional support, or service dog, there are some noteworthy tips prior to embarking on this journey. It is imperative you have better understanding of the different types of dogs that can serve, because, among other things, a trained dog is a costly investment. Service Dog Service dogs help with performing a function for a person who is limited by a disability. A partial list of disabilities covered include mobility issues, visual impairment (blindness), hearing impairment (deafness), seizures, diabetes, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), autism, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis (MS), and other physical/mental disabilities. 1 Service dogs can be used for autism assistance, child application, diabetic alert, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) assistance, hearing mobility assistance, multipurpose assistance, veteran s assistance, and seizure, according to 4 Paws for Ability. The American Kennel Club (AKC) states the Service Dog must be handler-focused, desensitized to distractions, and highly trained to do specific tasks. These types of dogs are clearly recognized by their vests and require training up to two years prior to being placed with someone. Emotional Support Dog Emotional support dogs help individuals with emotional problems by providing comfort and support. A partial list of disabilities covered include anxiety, depression, bipolar/mood disorders, panic attacks, and other emotional/psychological conditions. 2 An emotional support dog must be prescribed by a licensed mental health professional to a person with disabling mental illness, according to the AKC. The dog provides comfort and emotional support to owners in challenging situations and allows the owner to have the best quality of life possible. Therapy Dog Therapy dogs provide affection and comfort to individuals in hospitals, nursing homes, and other facilities. It s essential that the therapy dog is trained for basic manners and obedience and should always be involved in workshops that can help them in these areas, especially if they are volunteering around people who are petting them. Therapy dogs are tested, regulated, and registered with the intention of visiting those in hospitals, schools, retirement communities, or any other place the therapy dogs are needed. According to the United States Dog Registry Organization, all three types of dogs (service, emotional support and therapy) are acceptable in regards to breed, age, and sex of the dog.

3 Only two of the three types (service and emotional support dogs) can fly free (depending on the airlines) and are allowed in all housing, regardless of their pet policy, and are protected in all 50 states. Research on the type of dog that will work best for your unique situation should include an analysis of your lifestyle, activity level, and personality, as well as the dog s coat type, size and whether they are able to assist you, explains Veronica Morris, Ph.D., president of Psychiatric Service Dog Partners: Dogs Saving Lives. Your symptoms should be well-defined. Family, friends, and doctors could be beneficial in discussing these characteristics with you. What do you want the dog to do that you are unable to do yourself? Dr. Morris is the head of a non-profit group of enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers that help the community minimize mistakes and maximize successes when it comes to psychiatric service dogs. They also provide up-todate resources either at cost or free. Dr. Morris offers 10 tips for picking the right dog as a service dog. 1. Be patient! Choosing a service dog candidate is not something that should be rushed. 10 TIPS for picking the right dog as a service dog: 2. Stack the odds in your favor. Many dogs entering service training don't make it, so you should raise your chances by picking the breed and dog that will be most likely work for you. 3. A service dog is your disability lifeline, not your dream pet. Pick a breed that will best be able to mitigate your disability and work with you, regardless of your favorite breeds. 4. It is a personality contest. You should either choose a puppy whose mother has the temperament for service work or choose an adult dog from a stable home environment that already has the right temperament. 5. Avoid scams and amateurs! If you get a dog from a breeder or a program, do extensive homework on them. Many people are sorely disappointed because they trusted the marketing of others. 6. Be willing to make tough choices for your health in the long run. Picking a dog that can become your service dog might mean passing up a sweet rescue dog that really needs a home but doesn t have the right temperament or waiting another six months for a litter to be born if no pups in the first litter are suitable. 7. Get an expert to look at the dog. If you get a young adult, take it to the vet for hip X-rays and an eye exam before you bring the dog home. If you get a puppy, make sure both parents have had this testing. 8. Listen and learn! Take advantage of as many resources as possible when picking a dog. Use professional temperament tests, breeder insight, and information from people who have interacted with the dog. 9. Invest well in the beginning for bigger returns later. The time and money spent in your quest for a service dog will average out to a negligible amount over your dog s lifetime, so take your time and do it right for your sake, and the dog s. 10. Treat the process as a lifelong commitment. Make sure you are making the right decisions, as the dog will likely be with you for the rest of its life. Nearly all top service-related dogs from police dogs, search and rescue, customs and border, guide and hearing, therapy, seizure, and physical assistance dogs, include the Golden and Labrador retrievers. The majority of both breeds have incredible athletic "Not every person knows how to love a dog, but every dog knows how to love a person without reservation." US Service Dog Registry ability, are sturdy in build, energetic, and quite tolerant. They prefer constant companionship, are quick to learn and retrieve with an extraordinary sense of smell. For those reasons, they make some of the best companions. There are findings that therapy dogs in high school settings can have both mental and physical benefits. As an example, Mountain Vista High School, in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, created a space in the library called the Therapy Dog Lounge. It offers the students, with prior consent and a referral from any teacher or counselor, the opportunity to hang out with the dogs to reduce stress, in what can sometimes be a very overwhelming time. Trained student handlers are available throughout the day to supervise visits. All three super lovable and hypoallergenic dogs are insured, trained, vaccinated, and approved by the counties school district risk management team. Their mission statement: Providing stress relief to Mountain Vista High School students August 2018 October

4 Roo and students at Mountain Vista High School through the power of positivity and a therapy dog. The dogs range in age at Mountain Vista from 10 months to fiveyears-old. The therapy dog program is incredibly beneficial to students at Mountain Vista High School, says Natalie Bernard, an English teacher at Mountain Vista High School. Handlers escort the pups to visit classrooms prior to tests and to counselors offices when needed, and the mood in the room immediately lightens as they prance in. The students frequently find their way to the library just to sit with a dog and take a relaxing breath away from the chaos of high school and its drama. Roo, my own 10-month-old therapy dog that I share with the high school recently visited a neighboring school that lost a beloved principal and a special education child. Roo spent the day calmly and lovingly licking away flowing tears in the special education room with numerous students and teachers. Dogs can be therapeutic, especially in times of crisis. Lutheran Church Charities, a nonprofit organization, is located in Northbrook, Illinois, but their members travel with their trained comfort dogs to interact and socialize with people in need of some healing. They recently visited with the devastated survivors of the terrifying school shooting in Parkland, Florida. The dogs bring peace and a sense of tranquility amidst the turmoil of emotions. A dog is a friend who brings a calming influence, allowing people to open up their hearts and receive help for what is affecting them. The dogs love to socialize with all people, no matter the situation. The word biddable comes to mind when describing the Portuguese Water Dog, and, as an added bonus, they are hypoallergenic with only seasonal shedding. Carolyn Shaw is a Portuguese Water Dog enthusiast. In her not-so-spare time she loves to show her dog, which includes plenty of preparation before, during, and after the dog shows. She also understands the powerful benefits her breed dog has in the dog service world and, thus, donates on occasion a puppy from her litters to train to be a therapy dog. Peggy Kelley. MD, became interested in volunteering with her dog because she really loved interacting with the therapy dogs at Children s Hospital when she was working. She saw the effect of how petting and engaging with therapy dogs benefitted both her patients and the staff. Peggy had an amazing dog Luke, who was born to work with patients, so when he qualified to be a therapy dog, she was pleased to drive him to the hospital and was honored to work alongside him. Peggy said When we went to the hospital, and I put on my volunteer vest, it was like I put on an invisibility cloak (like in Harry Potter.) I could go into patient rooms and no one knew I was a surgeon even, at times, THEIR surgeon! Their vision was only on the dog. Luke and, now, Jaxon, work magic to let patients and families forget they are in the hospital. Therapy dogs, like Luke and Jaxon and visitation dogs, go to the hospital to patient rooms and lobby and work their magic to successfully bring a sense of calm, joy, and focus for a moment or two (which is not on the child s health chart.) Additionally, therapy dogs actually work with patients during their therapy sessions. They fetch, cuddle, retrieve and just sit with the children in therapy to encourage them and to get them to do work for a dog s reward, which they frequently will not do for a human therapist. Peggy explains that therapy dogs are an incredible distraction during difficult periods, like blood draws. The dogs can give the child a chance to think outside of their own problems or recovery. The ability to do so really 22 Autism Asperger s Digest August 2018 October 2018

5 allows for a positive mind set which, around by others. They also should be medically, changes the body s reaction comfortable enough to lay down for from a sympathetic (fight or flight) extended periods of time. Additionally, response to a parasympathetic response, the dogs should be well trained to leave which lets the brain relax and work on it, especially when visiting hospitals real healing. She adds, Laughter really when medicine can be mistakenly taken is good medicine! The most memorable reaction to Luke, according to Peggy, was when an infant/toddler had a clinched hand so for dog food. Although many places enjoy the therapy dog visits, make sure first they want you to come. There are stories of fraudulent tight that the human therapists could service dogs, which are simply a not peel the fingers out of her palms, pet with a vest, which, by the way, is which caused injury to her hand. She considered a federal crime. They also had a serious brain injury and did make it that much harder for the people not talk or obviously interact with her that really do have a trained dog to care givers. The therapist set her little assist others. Photo Courtesy of Myndi Pressly hand on Luke s warm leg just above his Dogs of any breed can be super paw. In less than 30 seconds, the hand heroes, especially ones that are trained softened and opened to gently reach to be just that. Numerous stories of around the leg. The hand stayed open brave dogs putting their lives on the line and allowed the therapists to complete for soldiers during war or, afterwards, their therapy. helping veterans deal with panic Holly Trumble got interested in situations by leading them to a quiet therapy dogs when her father showed and calm places. In order to save their signs of Alzheimer s. Since the pup was owners, dogs have jumped from buses eight weeks old, her female Portuguese and run into busy intersections. One Water Dog, Keilani would go with her dog laid on its master for nearly 24 hours to visit him at least four times a week. so that he wouldn t freeze to death. With With Keilani sitting tenderly on his lap, a keen sense of smell and acute hearing, her dad would relax. For Holly s father, trained dogs often are first to know signs Keilani sparked happy memories of him of danger, including when a person s having dogs as a boy. Holly says his blood sugar levels are dangerously low whole countenance would change when or offering up their body to protect their Keilani walked in the room with her. owners from injury during the onset of Holly lovingly gives-back to the elderly. She has two trained therapy Peggy.kelley@childrenscolorado.org Peggy s current Pet Prescription Dog is Jaxon. Jaxon is a Portuguese Water Dog. His AKC registered name is Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You Sea? (Sic) a seizure. Not every person knows how to love dogs (tested with Therapy Dogs a dog, but every dog knows how to love International) named Kona and Keilani, a person without reservation. US which work together at assisted living Service Dog Registry and memory care facilities. From past Photo Courtesy of Brad Morris experience, Holly knows that seasonal Veronica Morris PhD and Hestia SD (Japanese Chin) partnered with a psychiatric service dog since 2005 President of Psychiatric Service Dog Partners changes can be challenging for those with cognitive difficulties, so she makes sure her team of therapy dogs are there to assist. Holly explains that therapy dogs should be fearless of loud noises, Sources: 1. Laws Protecting the Type of Dog in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). wheel chairs, canes, and commotion. It is important that the dogs are welcoming and patient of being petted, cuddled, and sometimes, paraded Marla S. Roth-Fisch is an award-winning author and illustrator of Sensitive Sam and Sensitive Sam Visits the Dentist. Kona & Keilani 2. Laws Protecting the Type of Dog Fair Housing Amendments Act Air Carrier Access Act. August 2018 October