Apr 5

Saturday Run-Throughs
Paloma Park in Atascadero
Obedience @ 9 am
Flyball @ 10:30 am
Agility + Rally concurrent to Obedience and Flyball

Apr 12

Therapy Dog visit

Caring Canines is a group of SLODOG members interested in giving what we call, "Therapy From The Heart."

Once a month we and our approved (see below) dogs visit greater San Luis Obispo area facilities to spread a little cheer and joy to the ill, elderly and institutionalized. Studies confirm what we've seen: that such visits improve residents' mental and physical health and well-being.

Sheila Lakin, Activity Director at Country Care Convalescent Home in Atascadero, recently wrote in a letter of thanks to SLODOG, "We so much appreciate all the time, effort and love that you show our residents. They enjoy the dog visits immensely, especially when (the dogs) are dressed for (a) holiday occasion. Please know we are so glad to have you visit our residents.... God bless you all."

The sight of our dogs, the touch of their soft coats, the canine way of leaning in for just one more pat or two — it awakens in the residents fond memories of pets they've had, of ones they've had to leave behind. Suddenly we're old friends. Residents tell us about their lifetime of pets and ones they've known; others don't say a word to us but talk to the dogs; still others say nothing at all while they stroke the head of a dog sitting next to their chair, and some doze off with their hand still on the dog's head, the dog's muzzle resting on their thigh.

We are beginning to join efforts with physical therapists to expand on the benefits of our visits. Adding a dog into the mix can completely change a patient's attitude toward ball-throwing and other exercises.

Studies suggest that the relationship between animals and humans can...
• Help lower blood pressure;
• Increase self esteem;
• Increase the survival rates for heart attack patients;
• Provide a sense of emotional stability;
• Improve balance, coordination, mobility, muscular strength, and posture in developmentally challenged children and adults.

We're committed to helping develop nurturing behaviors and humane attitudes toward animals by exposing facilities and patients to responsible dog owners and making sure we leave each facility better off than when we arrived. Many residents and caregivers have remarked how appreciative they are of our visits and how everyone looks forward to Caring Canines' visiting day.

Caring Canines is an independent program sponsored by SLODOG. We follow guidelines gleaned from Delta Society and into which we've incorporated those from Therapy Dog International. We've taken what we see as the best of each program, then tailored it to meet the needs of our group and the institutions we visit.

Thanks to Our Caring Canines of 2004
SLODOG sends special thanks to the Caring Canines teams who made 10 or more Therapy Dog visits to area facilities during 2004: Sharon & Suzie Q, Janet and Jenny, Cris and Celeste, Cindy and Spiff and Slick, Roberta and Lacey, Gail and Homer, Diane and Ursa, Linda and Zoey, Bob and Kali, and Lana and Buckwheat, Stella, Nikki, and Katie. We have the best Therapy Dog program in the county due to all the volunteers who work so well with their canine partners and fellow team members in the giving spirit all year round.

We bestowed our Golden Paw Award on Roberta and her Springer Spaniel Lacey for their superlative dedication during 2004 to SLODOG's Therapy Dog program and everything for which it stands. See a glimpse of the celebration in our photo strip -- and thanks Roberta!

Apr 14

General Meeting
PETCO in San Luis Obispo; see the SLODOG pg for more info

Apr 20

EVENT: DOG DAYS 2008
see the Events page for information

May 3

Saturday Run-Throughs
Santa Rosa Park in SLO
Obedience @ 9 am
Flyball @ 10:30 am
Agility + Rally concurrent to Obedience and Flyball

May 10

Therapy Dog visit

May 17

Saturday Run-Throughs
Strother Park in Arroyo
Grande
Obedience @ 9 am
Flyball @ 10:30 am
Agility + Rally concurrent to Obedience and Flyball

May 24-26

C.O.A.S.T. Agility + Stockdog Trials
See the coastasc.org web site for more info

note...

No May Member Meeting
We'll pick back up in June

SLODOG Therapy Dog Teams
Caring Canines is comprised of handler-dog teams. Each dog is AKC Canine Good Citizen test certified, and each team works with one of our experienced teams before being allowed to make visits on behalf of Caring Canines. Our team guidelines teach safety as well as effective interaction; the brief apprenticeship helps novice teams learn more about working with and around wheelchairs, walkers, and prosthetics while preparing mentally for situations they may well encounter.

We are quite serious that Caring Canines be represented by teams committed to providing the ideal of responsible dog ownership within an atmosphere that spreads as many smiles and as much joy as can fit into a single room.

If you're interested in joining us in our quest, please read the below, How to Become a SLODOG Therapy Dog Team, then, assuming you're still interested, send us an e-mail at therapydog@slodog.org introducing yourself. We welcome you to join us as an observer on one of our Therapy Dog visits but cannot allow you to bring your dog until you and your dog fulfill our How to Become a Therapy Dog Team requirements, as outlined below.

There are many wonderful facilities in our area, and we are unable to visit them all. We would love to reach out and incorporate more facilities into our schedule and we can only do so with more volunteer support.

How to Become a SLODOG Therapy Dog Team
Being an effective Caring Canines Therapy Dog team demands time, love, and understanding. It also demands an ability to anticipate potential problems before they arise, to read your dog's mood and attitude at every turn, and to control your dog in ANY situation. Contact our Therapy Dog liason, Chris Darbonne, at therapydog@slodog.org if you're interested in joining us (without your dog) as an observer on one of our Therapy Dog visits to see if it's an activity you'd like to pursue.

Step 1: Evaluate Your Dog's Potential to be a Therapy Dog
Not all "friendly" dogs do well as Therapy Dogs. A potential candidate first and foremost must love being around strangers, even if those strangers pummel the dog or pet him/her roughly at first. The dog's mind-set must be sound and confident, one not frazzled by strange places or by people, dogs, wheelchairs or other equipment occasionally poking or bumping them. The dog must remain unphased by the presence of cats, birds, rats, and other small animals, because such are often pets at facilities we visit.

A Therapy Dog needs to respond, regardless of distractions, when called, and, and this almost goes without saying, he/she must know not to go to the bathroom indoors or jump onto people or furniture.

Therapy Dogs cannot be barkers or obsessed with licking or trying to shake hands/paws.  The barking is an obvious no-no, but the licking and shaking can be less intuitive. The reasoning is that we visit mostly convalescent hospitals; elderly skin tends to be very thin and easy to break through. A dog's bumpy tongue, when applied repetitively and with a little pressure, can cause abrasive tears; a rough pad and hard nails, even when well trimmed, cut like a knife.

Therapy Dogs need to know how to accept treats politely. Facility residents often enjoy dogs interacting with dogs that can perform tricks, but no treats can be given out unless the dog can accept them politely.

At Halloween and Christmas our Therapy Dogs often don costumes to further the holiday spirit (see our photos pages for examples).  Therapy Dogs don't HAVE to wear a costume and should never be uncomfortable with any get-up you place upon them, but if they're to partake in our holiday visits they neither should be nervous around dogs looking momentarily slightly un-canine.

Step 2: Evaluate Your Potential to Serve as Your Dog's Team Partner
Caring Canines is a TEAM effort. While your dog does most of the work (and garners most of the attention), you are an integral part of every successful visit. Like your dog, you should be comfortable around strangers, particularly the elderly and infirmed. You should be able to maintain a helpful, easy-going attitude even when expediently correcting an unwanted situation, such as someone being too rough with your dog, and you should be willing if not eager to listen to residents' opinions and stories, even their criticisms (however unjustified) of your dog.

You MUST be able to pick up on early signs of stress in your dog in order to be an effective team partner. For instance, your dog may become a dependable Therapy Dog at convalescent hospitals, but when we make one of our less frequent visits to a facility for the mentally impaired, he/she may become slightly out of sorts. Some dogs do fine in certain types of therapy situations but don't enjoy others. It's your job to continually read your dog's comfort level and act swiftly and proactively (i.e., early) when anything seems amiss. If you have any inkling about any preferences your dog has regarding kids, the elderly, the mentally and/or physically impaired, let us know. Not all our Therapy Dogs have to visit all types of facilities!

Step 3: Join SLODOG
All Caring Canines Therapy Dog teams MUST be SLODOG club members. It is, after all, our club's reputation that's on the line at every therapy visit.

SLODOG membership costs $20 a year (June 1-May 31); it includes a very nice monthly newsletter, among other things. Download our Membership Form from our SLODOG club information page or send an email to info@slodog.org asking us to snail mail a form to you.

Step 4: Take (and Pass) the AKC Canine Good Citizen Test
The AKC's Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test evaluates basic canine manners in public.  It involves things like a stranger approaching and petting your dog, and your dog being able to be around people and other dogs without lunging wildly, whether in ferocity or play. That nearly 90 percent of dogs and handlers pass speaks to the test's simplicity. (It's far less demanding than our overall Therapy Dog requirements!)

One of our SLODOG club members, Teah Anders, operates a dog-training facility in Arroyo Grande called Gentle Pets (www.gentlepets.com; email Teah at teah@gentlepets.com). Among her other dog-training talents, Teah is an AKC-approved evaluator for the Canine Good Citizen Test, so she's a great source to learn about certification and through which to achieve it. You can alternately contact Donna Verbeckmoes, another SLODOG member and AKC-approved CGC evaluator; write to therapydogcgc@slodog.org to reach Donna.

Check our Events page for upcoming events offering CGC testing, or contact Donna via .

Step 5: Join Us at Obedience/Flyball Practice
You'll notice if you look at the calendar at the top right of this page or at our main Calendar page that our club schedules obedience and flyball practice sessions for a few Saturday's a month. We ask any members interested in joining our Therapy Dog group to bring their dog to at least two Saturday practices for evaluation; figure on spending about two hours each time. You can participate or not in the obedience and flyball activities; what we need to see is how your dog reacts to all the goings on, how responsive he/she is to your requests, how amenable he/she is to being approached by strange dogs and people, and what his/her overall temperament is like.

We will ask that you and your dog to participate in the final portion of the obedience session: the "sit, stay" and "down, stay." The "stay" portions can last up to several minutes; Therapy Dog candidates can remain on-leash, if you like. The exercises help us see that your dog not only listens to your commands but also that he/she doesn't panic or undergo some other drastic change in personality when you're out of sight. Don't worry if your dog needs a little work with the lessons: Though you can't become an approved Caring Canines Therapy Dog team until both can be executed properly, the whole purpose of our practice sessions is to practice and improve; it's a very cordial, noncompetitive environment in which experienced members are more than happy to offer a helping hand, should you want it.

Step 6: Review Our Caring Canines Booklet & Code of Ethics
We distribute a Caring Canines spiral bound 25-page book detailing all that's required and expected of each of our Therapy Dog teams. We follow guidelines gleaned from Delta Society and into which we've incorporated those from Therapy Dog International. We've taken what we see as the best of each program, then tailored it to meet the needs of our group and the institutions we visit.

The final page of the book is our Caring Canines Code of Ethics. You must read, sign, and return this page to Lana Basinger, our Therapy Dog Chairperson, before you can join us on a Therapy Dog visit.

Because we ask for a $2.50 per booklet (half our costs), most people wait until they're fairly certain their dog possesses the qualities needed in a Therapy Dog before they buy the guide. That said, if you'd prefer to read it earlier in our step-by-step process, please talk to Lana (therapydog@slodog.org); sales are to members only.

Step 7: Visit Facilities as a SLODOG Caring Canines Apprentice
For your first 10 Therapy Dog visits, you'll work alongside a fully certified team.  We try to let you work with a different team each visit to expose you to a variety of approaches to similar situations. So long as you abide by our ethics and guidelines, we're open to you and your dog adding your own flavor to the visits.

Therapy Dog days are scheduled for second Saturday of each month. We try to visit two facilities per Saturday and stay about 45 minutes at each. We alternate month to month between North County and South County (SLO) facilities.

Step 8: Earn Your Caring Canines Certification
After completing 10 successful Therapy Dog visits alongside a fully certified team, SLODOG Caring Canines awards your team with a photo I.D. badge picturing you and your dog, plus a heart-shaped Therapy Dog name tag for your dog. You're now free to join in Therapy Dog visits organized by SLODOG without needing certified accompaniment.

After 30 successful visits, your team is awarded our Therapy from the Heart cloth patch (shown at right) plus a certificate stating that you and your dog are a SLODOG Certified Therapy Dog Team.

Step 9: Maintaining Your Caring Canines Certification
All Therapy Dogs need to attend at least a few obedience-flyball practice sessions a year to remain well socialized with the other club dogs.

If health, travel, or other aspects of life keep you away from Therapy Dog for more than 12 months, we ask that your team attend at least one obedience-flyball practice before resuming Therapy Dog visits to ensure your dog's socialization/manners have not deteriorated from approved levels.

In Closing...
We know this is a lot of information. It may seem intimidating at first, but all the safeguards are to ensure that the visits themselves are fun and stress-free for everyone.

If you'd like help with evaluating your dog's potential to become a Caring Canines Therapy Dog or if you have any questions, contact us at therapydog@slodog.org or talk to Lana Basinger (our Therapy Dog Chair) or Chris Darbonne at any SLODOG member meeting (see the SLODOG Calendar for upcoming dates and times).