JJ becomes a Pets As Therapy Dog

(kindly sent to us by his new owner Ann Jones)

JJ has been written about before in the NSC magazine .  He was rescued three years ago from very neglectful circumstances in Lincoln by the Northern Schnauzer Rescue Society.

He came to live with us after we had contacted Ann McElroy for a rescue dog.  We could have bought a puppy, but had decided that a rescue dog needing a good loving home was what we really wanted.  Besides my husband and I are retired and didn’t fancy training a new puppy from scratch.  I suppose in hindsight we were taking a big chance, but JJ didn’t let us down.  He showed his love from day one.

When he came to us he was called Jamie, but didn’t seem to want to answer to that name, and because our surname is Jones we started calling his initials and he took to that straight away.

During the past three years we have nursed JJ back to health.  He is now a healthy, well socialised little dog who shows love and friendship to everyone he meets, and if you have the 2010 Northern Schnauzer Rescue Society calendar, you will have noticed that JJ is Mr. August.

JJ has the most wonderful temperament and likes nothing better than being petted and patted, which is why this time last year he became a registered P.A.T. dog.  All P.A.T. dogs and cats are family pets who display a calm, friendly temperament.  At present there are 4,500 P.A.T. dogs and 108 P.A.T. cats currently active in the United Kingdom and 130,000 patients benefit every single week from visits by these lovely animals.

• Firstly JJ had to be assessed by a Pets As Therapy trained assessor.  He had to be able to walk on a relaxed lead, without excessive pulling and without the use of head collars, harnesses or check chains.
• He needed to be able to accept being stroked and handled and having his paws, tail and ears stroked by anyone and everyone.
• Also he had to display that he could take a food treat gently without snatching because patients and clients love to be able to give their P.A.T dog a food treat.
• He also had to prove he could respond appropriately to a sudden noise or disturbance in the room because P.A.T. dogs have to encounter lots of new and unexpected stimuli – they should not be overly fearful of this and recover quickly.  Sometimes in care homes and hospitals there can be sudden noises, such as a bowl, or walking stick being dropped.

Animals are unique in that they demonstrate instinctive and non-judgmental understanding.  They promote reminiscence by stimulating the memory and mental activity and encourage people to talk about pets they themselves have kept in the past.  It has been proved that the act of stroking an animal can lower blood pressure and reduce stress levels.  Patients suffering from depression withdraw into their own world.  It has been found that the presence of a Pets As Therapy dog in this situation can break through barriers where humans have failed.

Pets As Therapy dogs and cats visit in care homes, nursing homes, day care centres, hospitals, hospices, schools, special needs schools, and prisons.

JJ visits in a care home for the elderly, although he would like to visit children with special needs I am sure.  He is very good with children and we are hoping to work in a special needs school in the not too distant future.  He enjoys his visits, and when I get the little yellow Pets As Therapy coat out which he wears when he is visiting, he gets excited, because he recognises that shortly he will have lots of hugs during his visit

He is always rewarded by a walk along the beach where we live, and then carries out his favourite pastime of chasing seagulls and sandpipers.  He has yet to work out that he will never catch one!

As volunteers for Pets As Therapy, JJ and I give our time willingly and freely.  We love our work and the smiles of the clients faces when we visit is reward enough