Meeko Helps a New Friend

Today Meeko and I were doing our regular visit with a small class at a school.  Our visit went really well and the students had a great time working and visiting with Meeko.  That was awesome enough.  Meeko is truly turning into a fantastic little therapy dog.  He may only weigh 6lbs, but he really has a big heart for kids and just seems to know who needs a little extra therapy at times.

We had finished our classroom visit, exited the room and were making our way down the hall to leave when we came upon a student and a staff member sitting in the hall.  Meeko immediately went to this student, I asked the staff member if it was okay, noting that it appeared the student had been crying.  He nodded and the student asked if he could hold Meeko.  I said certainly, and placed Meeko in his lap.  Meeko looked up and began licking this child’s tears.  The child began smiling and talking to Meeko.  He had Meeko do a few a tricks, sat on the floor and played with him for a couple of minutes, got up turned to me, smiled and ran off into the classroom.

I looked at the staff member sitting on the chair who had been with this student, obviously consoling this child.  He looked at me in wonder and said, “That was the most amazing thing I ever saw.”  He proceeded to tell me that there was speaker in the class talking about smoking and the effects of it.  This student’s mother had just been diagnosed with lung cancer from smoking.  He had become upset when they began talking about it in class.  The staff member said he had been trying to console him for about 20 minutes but was unable to.  He said he had never seen anything like that happen before.  I smiled and said that is the magic of pet therapy.  We peeked in on the child in the classroom before we left, he looked back with the biggest smile ever, gave us two thumbs up.  I returned the thumbs up, smiled and winked, then as we turned and made our way down the hall, I thought, “Isn’t it amazing how our dog’s just know what to do?”  I am so proud of Meeko.  He will forever be the Chihuahua that touched the lives of so many children.  The little dog with a big heart!

Reading goes to the dogs at Butterfield Elementary (AZ)

From their school newsletter and local newspaper in AZ ! !

Butterfield Elementary School played host to community readers Monday as part of the 12th Annual Read to Kids Day; but the stars were dogs, Luke and Zoey. 

Patti Rulli and her dog, Luke, were on hand to read to kindergarten students about something they could see firsthand—a collie. 

“This dog really likes books,” said one young man, who tried to get the dog to smile for the camera. 

Rulli and fellow dog handler Bill Townsend, with his dog Zoey, are regulars at Butterfield, working with special needs students there. 

Both dogs are certified in Reading Educational Assistance. They lay quietly on the floor, surrounded by kindergarteners who petted them over and over while listening to the stories. 

Volunteers like MUSD Curriculum Director Krista Roden, dressed in a pink Mother Goose costume, read to students in Butterfield’s five kindergarten classes. Participating teachers were Kayla Colling, Jacque Irwin, Amber Jensen, Benita Polidore and Jennifer Seaman. Other readers included Maricopa Mayor Anthony Smith, Maricopa Police Chief Kirk Fitch and Assistant to the City Manager Patrick Melvin. 

Melvin read “The Grouchy Ladybug,” a story about a self-important bug with no manners who was always trying to pick a fight. 

“With kids you really have to get the animation right,” said Melvin. 

The purpose of the annual Read to Kids Day is to create a love for reading while building strong vocabularies in young children through kindergarten. 

United Way, the sponsoring organization, donates a book to the child’s classroom or library for every book a volunteer reads. In addition, every child receives a book to take home.

Volunteer Award Goes to Jasmine and Moose! - by Jasmine Grimm

Moose and I were nominated for the Humane League of Lancaster County's Henry C. Brandt Volunteer of the Year Award at their annual Wags & Whiskers Gala. 

Since KPETS are the ones who certified Moose, I thought you'd want to share in the nomination. Thank you for all you've done for me, guys! The letter for the nomination is below. 

Dear Mr. Hess,

Its difficult to even write this email to you without my eyes brimming with tears.

My heart fills with pride when I think of all the time and love that Jasmine Grimm has extended to her passions - helping people and pit bulls by bridging the gap that has been created between them over the years.

Jasmine and her pit bull Moose are always on the go.  Whether it be to comfort dying patients at Hospice, let children who have no home read to Moose, or simply using her words to reclaim a breeds integrity - Jasmine is there.

She has organized and rallied her friends, business partners, family and even complete strangers to donate, volunteer or simply lend a hand to the Lancaster County Humane League.

She is writing for Stubbydog.org to help pits worldwide and, to help us all with understanding.

All this and holding down a full time job would be too much for most of us.  Not Jasmine!  Her grit and determination combined with intelligence and caring allow her to move mountains to achieve her goals.

She has taken steps to certify her pitt as a therapy dog, one of less than 40 pit bulls certified across the USA.

She shared with me one occasion at Hospice where the patient was passing. She and Moose were the only ones there with the patient.  They knew the end was near and she said the patient looked over at her, as Moose lay gently beside him.  She said his hand stroked Moose's paw and a smile came to his face.  H
How many of us could or would withstand that type of emotional drain and still keep going?

Jasmine does and continues to do it daily. I don't know if you would consider her Volunteer of the Year, by personally, I consider her Volunteer of the Century, because that is just who and what she is.

e thanked Jasmine for bringing Moose in to see him that day.  He said it was nice "not being alone".  It was his last day on this earth. 

For Me ? ! ? by Tiffany Zook

Once, when visiting Oak Leaf Manor with our Jack Russel, Kira, the residents were checking on their homemade ice cream in which they prepared a bit earlier than our arrival.  Excited to see Kira and me, one of the residents grabbed the scoop and dipped a mouth watering bowl of fresh vanilla ice cream.  I was flattered!  She walked over to me, and at the last second, placed it on the floor for the dog! Kira was in heaven....   

Take Your Meds, Please by Sherry Waple

My Aussie, Chloe, and I are new members to Kpets.  We became registered on February 28th and had our third visit at Elizabethtown Manor Care on Tuesday, March 8th.   
On this  visit, one of the nurses was having a difficult time getting one of the residents to take their medication.  The resident really likes Chloe so the nurse started to tell her that the meds were from Chloe and that Chloe wanted her to take them.  The resident still wouldn't take them.  So I asked the resident if she wanted to shake Chloe's paw.  She said she did.  I told her that if she took her medicine then Chloe would shake her hand.  She took her meds right down!  Of course, Chloe shook her hand and the resident was very happy:)  I was sooooo proud of Chloe and the nurse thanked me for helping.  I told the nurse that is what we are there for.  Not just to  visit, but to help in anyway we can.  


It really made me feel good that we were able to help with the meds and I can see how much of a difference Chloe makes emotionally with the people that request to see her each week when we visit.  It also makes you feel good after being there a few times that some of the residents know Chloe by name and she's really getting to know them pretty well too. 


I am really glad we became a part of Kpets and are making a difference in their lives.  

Therapy Dog Gets Human Therapy! by Nan Hanshaw

In January, Smidgen, my boxer had major surgery to repair one of her knees.  She had an immune reaction to the metal plates which were placed in her leg, and recovery has been difficult.  She is probably facing yet another surgery on this knee, and the other knee will also need repair if this one heals.  She has been without a walk or other activity for nine weeks, and is likely looking at several more months at the very least.  She is not allowed to play tug with the other dogs and can’t go for car rides.  She is depressed because she is not visiting and doesn’t get enough mental stimulation or exercise, and she has pain in her leg.  

Several  weeks ago Jeanne Beckley from MICU at the Hershey Med Center did a “human therapy visit”.  She came to our house and brought a gift bag full of toys and treats and a get well card signed by all the staff and a few of Smidgen’s favorite physicians from MICU.  This cheered Smidgen and her mom up quite a bit.  As you can see by the photo, she is very attached to one of her new squeaky toys.  We hope to get Smidgen back in shape to be able to visit her friends in MICU again soon.

Puppy Pool Party at Mennonite Home

KPETS was invited to a puppy pool party at Mennonite Home on Friday, January 28, 2011. The pool was being closed so Sue, our contact person for pet visits there, thought it would be a great time to let the dogs swim and have the residents come out and enjoy the entertainment. And they sure did!

Sharing the raft !

KPETS volunteers and their soggy four-legged friends had a blast swimming and splashing in the pool. There we eight dogs in attendance. There were six goldens, one yellow lab, and one Shih Tzu! Katie Daubert/Toby, Nancy Houston/Gilly, Nancy Thomas/Belle, Barbara Noll/Hunter, Diane Rima/Chester, Jim Kraus/Scout, Martha Gomez/Micah, and Karen Gerth/Cinda.

Prior to the big splash, several of the early arriving teams went around and visited the residents before their pooch became a 'wet dog'. As we mingled, we met so many nice folks who loved visiting with our pets. One woman in particular was visited, as Sue and the woman's daughter looked on. There was not much verbal communication between handler and this woman, but she definitely enjoyed touching and 'talking' to the dogs. After the event, Sue came out and made us  aware that both she and the woman's daughter had not seen this resident respond that much to anything in months! ! ! Even at an event like this, our pets are making a difference!

Most dogs were excited to get in the pool. But this was Scout's first time, so he wasn't quite sure if this was for him.

All dogs had to enter and exit the pool via the gradual steps. These steps needed to be guarded by the handlers to keep the dogs from running around the pool area and getting everyone else wet. The dogs swam and swam and came back to the steps to rest.

We cautiously let a few of the dogs come out of the pool and  jump back in to retrieve their toys as the residents cheered them on. Micah, the Shih Tzu and and Scout, the lab, shared a raft and floated around as Martha and Jim assisted and kept the other 'bullies'  from dumping them : ) What a blast!

Sue also announced that this was a birthday celebration for two of the 'pups'! Nancy Houston's, Belle and Karen Gerth's, Cinda (who are litter mates) turned twelve years old the day before! The residents and volunteers broke out in song to sing "Happy Birthday" to the 'kids'!

I don't know about you, but when I swim for any length of time, I usually need to, well let's just say, 'go'. It was not any different for a few of the canines. God love Jim as he took a couple of them out in the snowy court yard to relieve themselves. As the wet dogs rolled around in the snow in utter joy, Jim froze as he patiently watched. A true saint of a man!

When the party came to a close, residents started leaving and volunteers slipped into the changing rooms to dry off and change clothes to get ready to face the cold outdoors, But before we ducked out for the day, Nancy Thomas pulled out her lunch bag with Frosty Treats for all the pups who were still there. (Sorry for folks who left early) in honor of the the birthday girls, Belle and Cinda.

Fun was had by all and Sue said we'll have to do this again for the residents in Wood Crest, the independent living area of Mennonite Home. I know I'm in : )