Dogs At Work
Deep soulful eyes, slightly moist nose, busy tail, paw extended. That's a dog.
Polite, playful, obedient, eager to please, ready to serve. That's a Therapaws dog.
Helps lower blood pressure, lifts spirits, encourages communication, fosters motivation. That's a Therapaws dog at work.
Mix in a loving, caring, empathetic human being with this beautifully innocent creature to provide social, emotional, and physical benefits during regular visits to some of the hundreds of residents and patients in Ann Arbor and surrounding communities. That's a Therapaws team at work.
Dogs To R.E.A.D.
When youngsters have trouble reading aloud, parents and teachers are quick to correct. That's their job.
But reading aloud in front of other kids can be hurtful. They are harsh critics. This behavior often leads to children losing confidence in their reading skills.
Enter a lovable furry creature that would rather have a belly rub than be rubbed the wrong way, and you have an attentive, non-judgmental listener.
Children feel relaxed and comfortable reading to a dog that is less threatening and less intimidating. Research shows that just being around a dog reduces anxiety and that less anxiety promotes better learning.
If all else fails, you have the best photographic subjects in the world.
Dogs In Training
Therapaws dogs generally are mild-mannered and obedient by nature, but they need to have such a disposition continually reinforced through training.
Some of our very own members are dog trainers, who give demonstrations at our picnics and other gatherings.
Therapaws recently sponsored a two-day training seminar where many of our members (and non-members) came with their dogs to learn positive-reinforcement and behavior modification techniques.
Therapaws also has been involved with TTouch, a positive-approach pet body therapy that helps a dog release tension and increase relaxation and awareness.
If you can't teach an old dog new tricks, you certainly can learn some yourself.
Dog Teams
If dog teams ruled the world, what a peaceful place it would be.
All a dog wants...
All a dog wants out of life is to be loved, valued, and cared for by its owner. That means being fed as often as possible, belly scratched as often as possible, and exercised as often as possible. It means being able to take a nap on top of a freshly made bed or in the middle of the kitchen floor during dinner preparation.
All the owner wants...
All the owner wants is to be welcomed home from a short errand as if he or she had been away at war; to take a very quick walk outside during a rainstorm; not to be embarrassed by inappropriate sniffing when the dog greets your new neighbor; to emulate their stretching habits and their ability to cover up pain. To be a good Therapaws partner.
Peace on earth!
Dogs At Play
Dogs love people, but they also love other dogs.
When canines meet, they investigate, they circle around each other, and they sniff. It's the doggie-equivalent of a handshake and like their human counterparts, the age-old ritual is repeated every time they meet.
Once the ritual is complete, canine's love to interact with each other. Throw in a body of water and they can't resist going for a swim. Call them out of the water, and they can't resist shaking off the evidence on the closest person. Throw a ball to one of them and you're hired!
Dog Faces & Tails
To their owners,
dogs are the Alpha and the Omega,
the beginning and the end,
the start and the finish,
and everything in between.