Where Are They Now?
Minnesota Therapy Animals
Sophie and I have been volunteering at Eagles Nest, a shelter for woman and children
needing to leave domestic violence in their homes, for several months.  Every other
week we take part in a 90-minute session for children at the shelter that combines art
activities and visits with volunteer accredited dog therapy teams.  The sessions start off
with everyone sitting in a circle, introducing themselves and the dogs and talking about
dogs we've known, how to act around dogs, and what kinds of things the dogs like to
do.  We learn about dogs and ourselves as we visit.

Sophie was one little boy's first "dog love" at Eagles Nest. When he first joined the
shelter's kids group, he was very scared of dogs; he would only "touch" Sophie by
placing his hand on top of one of the shelter staff's hands as she petted Sophie.  
Gradually the little boy became more comfortable and touched Sophie with his own
hand.  Soon he was petting her and brushing her and talking with her; next he was
holding onto the leash with me as we walked around the room.  When his mom came
to pick him up, she stopped, amazed at what she saw.  She could not believe her eyes,
because he had always been extremely afraid of dogs.  I'm glad that this little guy has
one less thing to fear in life!

Sophie and I started our therapy dog team work volunteering at Regions Hospital --
which we enjoyed.  But then Sophie developed vaculitis in her ears, a chronic condition
that causes her to develop scabs in her ears.  Although this is not a contagious
condition, a dog with scabby ears visiting a hospital just didn't make a lot of sense.  So,
we looked for another opportunity and were delighted to find a place to "work" at Eagles
Nest.

Susan Henderson, Ph.D.
Director, Precollege Programs
College of Continuing Education
University of Minnesota


Partners for Violence Prevention
Sophie laid very still on the long roll of heavy white paper,
showing that she is a good impromptu art model as well as a
calm therapy dog.  But then the magic marker that 5th-grader
Chris was using to trace around her approached her nose and
head made the tracing of her body a little challenging for Chris,
but when he was done decorating the traced body shape, he
had a glorious, neon Sophie picture.  Although Sophie was
enthusiastically engaged and the volunteers had a good time
watching Chris and the other children interact with the dogs and
make art to boot.
Susan and Sophie at special event.  
University of MN Law School
Sophie
Update:  Jan. 2010
Sue and Sophie continue to be actively volunteering in their community, but the
venue recently changed.     Difficult to say what precipitated the need for change,
but Sue her handler recognized it.    The team is now volunteering at Dakota
Communities group homes and we look forward to hearing of Ms. Sophie's new
adventures.
Editors Comment:  I believe that even therapy folks fall into the trap of viewing
AAT as an activity that only takes place in the schools or physical/occupational
world.  It does, however go way beyond that.  As you read about the session
below, informal as it may seem, the session has been well orchestrated or
planned. There's a thousand lessons in life we learn and take for granted.  Could
this one be about "trust"?  Hard to say, but it might be fitting if you come from an
unstable environment.
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