Therapy Dogs: How Dogs Help Us Heal

Bristol looking sharp in his official vest

It has been quite some time since our last post.  We hope you are enjoying your summer as much as us!

Before we retire our Pup-of-the-Month, Bristol, we wanted to honor him with a post about therapy dogs and their miraculous ability to provide love and healing.  The bond between humans and dogs is truly amazing and that is what we wish to celebrate in this post.

Photo Credit:  Jax Custom Photography
Bristol on the job AND having fun!

Bristol began his journey as a puppy.  At just 9 months of age, he completed the 10-step test to become certified as a Canine Good Citizen.  This certification focuses on training and developing positive behaviors such as, successfully responding to commands from his handler, demonstrating polite and calm behavior with strangers and in crowds, and interacting positively with other dogs.  After completing his certification, Bristol began visiting an assisted living facility in his community.  His sweet nature and loving demeanor was bringing so much joy to others, that his owners, Susan and Jack, decided to expand his experience and their visits to local hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and other organizations throughout their community.  Bristol has since completed his "Canine Masters Degree" by also achieving certification with Therapy Dogs, Inc. and Bright and Beautiful.

Photo Credit: Jax Custom Photograpy
Bristol giving kisses

What is pet therapy?

Pet therapy is the incorporation of animals into various settings and activities to help people heal and better manage difficult situations and health issues.  Pets will often visit hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and community organizations to interact directly with people.  They bring hope and comfort to the people they visit and take their minds off of life's challenges, even if only for a short period of time.  Studies have shown tremendous benefits in patients with cancer, heart disease, and mental health conditions.  For example, UCLA Medical Center published a study showing that a 12-minute visit with an assisted-therapy dog, "improved cardiopulmonary pressures, neurohormone levels, and anxiety in patients hospitalized with heart failure." American Journal of Critical Care, 2007 (http://ajcc.aacnjournals.org/content/16/6/575.full)

Common Benefits of Pet Therapy:

• Reduces depression and anxiety
• Lowers blood pressure
• Increases a sense of calm while releasing endorphins
• Creates and increases motivation for faster recovery
• Increases socialization
• Provides comfort

We hope you found this post inspiring and will consider volunteering your dog or yourself to help provide healing and hope to others.

Love,

A & A

Revisiting DIY: Make this ear solution YOURSELF!!

With Memorial Day weekend behind us and the temps heating up, we thought this was a perfect time to revisit this post!!

Cleaning your pup's ears is most likely NOT one of your favorite tasks, however, it is important and essential to good health.  With Spring upon us, those hot sweaty days will turn into prime ear infection season for your dog and you need to be prepared.

So, how do you go about this aspect of grooming and maintenance?  Do you use a cotton ear swab with soap and water...eeek we hope not!  Do you use pre-medicated pads?  A solution purchased from your veterinarian?  The possibilities are endless and there are thousands of products on the market, but in our opinion....NOTHING beats this homemade solution.

This is a powerful, yet safe solution, that will last you for months and ensure your pooch never gets another ear infection.

Ingredients:

1. 1 bottle of rubbing alcohol 16 oz.

2. Boric Acid Powder

3. Gentian Violet

4. Plastic bottle with applicator 4 oz. - 8 oz.

Step 1:

Pour the bottle of rubbing alcohol into your plastic bottle.

You can find these for $2 - $3 at any beauty supply store

Step 2:

Measure 2 oz. of Boric Acid Powder, approximately 2 tablespoons, and add to your alcohol.  

You can purchase at your local drugstore or online.  A 6 oz. bottle should be around $5

Step 3:

Add 8-10 drops of Gentian Violet to your solution and shake well.

Like the other ingredients, you can order from a drugstore pharmacy or reputable online source.  The price should be around $6 for 1-2 oz. bottle.

Did you know?  Both Boric Acid Powder and Gentian Violet are powerful antiseptic and anti-fungal agents used in many of our everyday products.

Step 4:

You final solution should have a lovely dark lavender hue and look something like this...

Add a small squirt of the solution into your pup's ear, massage and allow to sit for a few minutes.  Then take a gauze pad to clean out the gunk.

This is the only ear solution I use to clean my dogs' ears and I have never had another ear infection since we incorporated this into our routine.  The ingredients are easy to find and the solution is so simple.

We hope you give this DIY remedy a try!

Love,

A & A

Caring for Canines as a Community

Anatolian Shepherd mix in Alacati, Turkey

It's been awhile since our last post.  We have been out of the country on vacation for the past several weeks traveling throughout Turkey and Greece.  During our travels, I was surprised to see how many dogs were roaming the cities and villages, especially in the bustling metropolis of Istanbul.  Everywhere we went there were dogs lounging in cafes, peacefully meandering about the streets, and being fawned over by tourists and locals alike.  Most, if not all, seemed to be remarkably healthy, groomed, and socially well-adjusted.  This is in stark contrast to what we see here in the United States, so I decided to learn more about the dogs of Turkey and how they differ from the dogs living in the U.S.

Neighborhood dog in Alacati, Turkey

He joined us in the cafe to hang out

Here in the United States, we have around 13,600 animal shelters.  Of which, about 7.9 million animals enter each year and approximately 2.7 million are euthanized (aspca.org).  These numbers are staggering and create a polarizing issue here at home.

In Turkey, there are very few animal shelters due to infrastructure and economic challenges.  This results in a high number of free-roaming dogs; which could cause major health and safety concerns…or at least one would think.  In Istanbul, it is estimated that there are approximately 150,000 stray dogs roaming the streets and living peacefully among their human counterparts (animalbehaviorassociates.com)

So, what is different about these Turkish dogs?

A few years ago, rabies was a big problem among free-roaming dogs and the government instituted regulations requiring cities and villages to address the issue.  As a result, there has been a major effort to spay, neuter and vaccinate all stray dogs.  This is evidenced by ear tags and collars on nearly every dog you see.  This initiative has drastically reduced the number of reported rabies infections and allowed dogs to live a healthier life.

Cesme Peninsula, Turkey

In addition to the spay/neuter/vaccinate initiative, culture plays a large role in how dogs exist in the community.  Many Turkish citizens enjoy having the free-roaming dogs and care for them as a neighborhood.  We saw several dogs that seemed to have multiple "owners" as we would see shop keepers brushing, feeding, and caring for their canine friends.  Turkish society is also against euthanasia as a method of "population control" for otherwise, healthy animals.

Sunbathing in front of the Blue Mosque

Receiving some love from a tourist

Back to lounging

It is hard to say what the best resolution is for caring for all of the animals in our world.  I am inspired and warmed to see the relationship between man and dog in Turkey and perhaps we could learn a little from their approach.

Love,

A & A