The Light at the End of the Tunnell |
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The moment has finally arrived, and it’s a bright light at the end of a long pandemic tunnel. The PAWS teams have resumed visits at the Beebe Healthcare facilities!
It was March 9th of 2020 when Beebe suspended pet therapy at the Main Campus in Lewes, Tunnell Cancer Center and Bookhammer Outpatient Surgery Center. Beebe did welcome the teams back for outside visits with staff a couple of times, but now, the teams will be inside the Main Campus, the Tunnell Cancer Center and Health Campus, as well as the South Coastal Cancer Center; they’ll be in the Main Lobbies, various staff offices, waiting areas, even chemo/infusion!
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The teams will not be visiting on the patient floors of the Main Campus or the South Coastal Campus ED at this time. Masks will have to be worn, goggles in some areas and diligence with hand hygiene will be necessary. The rewards for such precautions are priceless.
The news was an all-around jump for joy, not only for the 18 PAWS teams that have been patiently waiting to return to Beebe and the 8 teams that are eager to onboard with the facility, but also for Volunteer Services Manager, Lee Halloran, who wrote “We have missed you all so much and cannot wait for you and the pups and lots and lots and LOTS of wags and wiggles.”
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PAWS Therapy Team Member Renee Michelsen shared, "I just wanted to tell you that Dotty and I had a great first day back volunteering as a PAWS team at Beebe. The nurses, staff and the patients were so happy to see us. There was a little boy waiting for an x-ray. He was sitting on the floor and Dotty sat next to him. He put his hand on Dotty until his name was called for his scan. His mom was very grateful. It felt fabulous to be back!
Many thanks to Lee Halloran and Beebe Healthcare for welcoming the PAWS teams back! PAWS is also grateful to the teams themselves for their patience and unwavering hope.
Pictured from top to bottom: Mallie (Gail Hamman), Iris (Amy Feinburg), and Dotty (Renee Michelsen)
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Pet Therapy in Action This Week |
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Thumbelina (Linda Okner) both gave and received the love at Wilmington Charter School DeStress recently. |
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Skylar (Becky Cronin) provides a warm lap snuggle to a resident at Meadow Crest in Middletown, DE. |
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Thank You For Your Generous Support |
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PAWS participated in the 2022 Do More 24 Delaware campaign on March 3 & 4 with the goal of raising new friends and funds to keep us strong and steady. Wow… amazingly generous support from 85 new and existing donors raised $8,505.00 (including $850 in challenge prizes.) The final total will include the incentive bonus funds to multiply the impact of every donation… enabling PAWS to Do More!
We are thrilled and so grateful to all our wonderful supporters. Your response fills our hearts. You are sustaining our programs and making PAWS' joy possible for more people in 2022.
Thank You!!
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Do You Know Someone in Need
of a Special Request Visit?
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PAWS for People offers our special one-on-one individualized therapeutic visits to those needing the care and comfort of our trained and certified therapy companions. Our teams can travel wherever we are needed: private residences, group homes, hospice, hospitals – anywhere.
If you have a friend or loved one who could benefit from a visit, we would be happy to set up a time to meet, establish what you would like our visits to focus on, and then provide a 30-60 minute visit with that person. Visits can be a one-time event or done on a continuous basis.
Our therapy teams, consisting of a trained handler and certified therapy companion, have undergone over 15 hours of screening, rigorous testing, and basic and advanced training in order to qualify as a Special Request team. We offer custom-designed visits developed to support the needs of the person we’re visiting. Different people have different needs and we are trained to diversify our visiting style and our conversation to fit the need of the person we’re spending time with. They may need:
- a calming, relaxing experience – some folks just like petting and being quiet
- a more invigorating, stimulating visit full of fun with the dog and conversation with the handler
- motivation to do certain tasks – physical exercise, practice with language, a reason to get up and walk
- a friendly visit that focuses on them and their interests
- a hospice visit where we are trained to listen, soothe, and be peaceful
If you have a loved one who needs some special attention or know of someone who would light up just to spend some time with a gentle, affectionate pet and a caring human, PAWS by Special Request is an answer to your prayer.
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Get Involved with PAWS for People |
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NEW THERAPY TEAM TRAINING
Interested in becoming a PAWS Pet Therapy Team? PAWS is currently holding Orientation & Training classes at the PAWS Office in Newark (every month) and in North East, MD (April).
Classes are held on Wednesday evenings or Saturday mornings. If you have a gentle, affectionate pet that you would like to share with the community, we would love to have you join us. Learn more about the requirements online.
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DOG TRAINING
PAWS for People is happy to offer obedience and therapy prep training through our partnerships with experienced dog trainers.
Whether you're just getting started or you need to work on specific behaviors, we have the perfect class for you!
And we currently have classes in two locations- Newark, DE and Jennersville, PA. Classes will resume in Ellendale, DE later this spring.
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PAWS UNIVERSITY CLASSES
We are excited to announce that seven PAWS University classes are now available online to complete at your convenience.
Online courses include: Trauma Support, Social Emotional Learning, Dog Body Language, PAWS for Reading, Oncology Support, Closer to the Heart, and PTSD Support.
Register online and you'll receive a course link.
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Did You Know?
Re-socializing Your Pup
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Yes, you probably already know - socializing, or rather, re-socializing, your pup after months of NOT visiting can be daunting at best. Dusty, my own Covid puppy, has been terrific at home, but when venturing into the world, she wants to do what she does at home – BOLTS out the door and runs with the wind. Adorable at home – not so much in public. I have had to reteach some things and help her remember what’s expected “out there.”
Here are some ideas on re-socializing your own dog. Even if your Frisky is perfecto, it doesn’t hurt to brush up a little. You’ll feel more confident and so will he. (Lynne)
WAYS TO Re-SOCIALIZE YOUR PUP
1. Practice visiting in new places: shopping centers, Home Depot, the park. . Exposing your pup to new situations and new noises will help desensitize them.
2. Remind your friends and family that your pup is still in training and they can help. That means YOU have to teach THEM what you want – like,” please don’t let Frisky jump up on you (any more)” or “We’re in training; could you have him sit before you let him out?” This shows your pup he needs to behave even with other people.
3. One step at a time: If your pup has been out of action for a while, she may be anxious about leaving home or nervous in the car. Try to identify exactly what her concern is and address it slowly but surely.
4. Several PAWS members have expressed concern that their dogs enjoyed laying around the house for 2 years and don’t want to get in the car any more. That’s an easy one. TREATS, a light-hearted approach, and short but sweet rides to encourage them to enjoy the car again. You might even try opening both front doors and have your pup jump in one side and right out the other for a tasty treat. They focus on the treat and forget where they are. This worked for me with my Sundance – it might work for you.
5. Make it fun and positive: You might be anxious about getting back into the game as well. And you know that anxiety goes right down the leash to your pup.
It is important that you relax and make this fun, fun, fun. Because it is!
~ Lynne Robinson, PAWS Executive Director
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When Greg Pettinaro and his sweet, gentle lab, Briley, joined PAWS for People in January 2021, Greg thought she would be great with kids and eventually wanted to visit Nemours Children’s Hospital.
The pair set to work, completing the PAWS for Reading training and joining other PAWS teams for weekly visits at Shortlidge Academy. They added visits to Sean’s House, DeStress events, Walkin’ & Talkin’, and Briley joined Greg at work for PAWS in the Workplace visits.
This dedicated team quickly had the time and experience to complete their Master’s Certification and prepare to visit Nemours. They had their first visit at the hospital in December and have added regular visits in the Nemours outpatient clinics to their busy PAWS schedule.
Thank you, Greg and Briley, for sharing your smiles, wags and snuggles and bringing PAWS magic to all you visit.
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Susan Sheehy & her 3-year-old Golden Doodle, Abby, have been members since January of 2021. Susan used to work at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center/Uniformed Services University and saw how wonderful therapy dogs can be to help people heal and get through tough times. While working with Veterans in her UD research project, she would bring Abby and was able to see how Abby makes people smile. Susan & Abby participate in PAWS in the workplace and have been involved with Bereavement Support Events, Community Events, and PAWS by Special Request.
Now here is where this story takes a great turn. Not only does Abby go on visits with Susan, but Abby also goes on visits with Susan’s friend Gina Ostmann. Gina has been a member since March of 2021. Gina & Abby visit at Ivy Gables Senior Living and have been involved with Bereavement Support Events, DeStress and Community Events.
Abby has so much love to share she needs two humans to help her share it. Thank you to Susan, Gina, & Abby for all you do for PAWS.
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Thanks to our PAWS Partners |
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Donate While You Shop
The AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases when selected by customers. Choose PAWS for People when you log in: smile.amazon.com
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