CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County region will welcome a new chapter of Keystone Pet Enhanced Therapy Services with an orientation for handlers on March 7 at 1 p.m. at Waggin’ Trains pet supply store, 1226 South Second Street in Clearfield.
Laura Whitman of Elizabethtown, KPETS vice president, will lead the orientation, which will cover the group’s organization, certification process and other requirements to become a volunteer KPETS dog-handler team.
According to Shari Trythall, co-founder of the Clearfield County KPETS chapter, once a handler completes the orientation; his or her dog will be assessed for its potential as a therapy dog. Next the team is observed during supervised visits with clients and then the team is certified.
KPETS is not affiliated with any national therapy dog organization. It has its own registration and certification process and insurance coverage, Trythall noted.
Anyone with a dog certified by another therapy dog organization is encouraged to join KPETS. The orientation is waived but the assessment and certification process must be completed, she added.
KPETS, which was founded in 2003 in Lancaster County, grew from a small church group reaching out to developmentally disabled people. It currently has more than 150 dog-handler teams offering animal assisted therapy and animal assisted activities
AAT pairs the dog-handler team with a professional therapist. Working together, the duo becomes part of the care plan for physical, speech and occupational therapies.
“For example, a client can work on range of motion by throwing a toy for the dog to retrieve or brushing the dog. For speech therapy, the client can give the dog commands or even read to the animal. In AAT, goals are set and progress is measured,” Trythall explained.
AAA is more informal and fun. Teams visit individual clients or groups of clients for social time, she said.
“The goal of our KPETS chapter is to build a roster of teams to provide whatever the clients needs and to expand on traditional nursing home visits to serve clients of all ages and all needs,” said chapter co-founder Beth Hallstrom.
“We see our teams working with a variety of human service organizations and individuals who ask for our help, whether for AAT or simply the joy that comes from visiting and playing with a dog” she added.
One program in the works in this area is at Cen-Clear Child Services, where psychotherapist Becky Sorg-Myers hopes to incorporate therapy dogs in the care plans for her clients age 5-12.
Sorg-Myers is completing the certification process with her Labradoodle, Jack, and said she is excited about the new KPETS chapter being able to provide more dog-handler teams.
“Pet-assisted therapy can help these children with a wide variety of issues. It can help build a rapport with the therapist, build trust, improve social skills and help trauma and abuse victims. The research is there: it is a very effective treatment,” she said.
Once the KPETS roster has some certified members, the group will take requests from agencies, facilities and individuals and coordinate scheduled visits. Individuals are welcome to operate independently, too, Trythall said.
Call 765-0123 to RSVP for the March 7 session or for more information. There is a $35 fee, which will be applied to the insurance cost if the team is successfully certified.
Press Release Provided by Beth Hallstrom