A Voice of Our Own Continued from Page 29 animal bonding. A good breeder who is versed in the intrica-cies of setting up a human/animal affiliation for the purpose of therapy or service, can help sidestep some of these challenges. For instance, Prairie Shadow Weimaraner Dog Breeders work on limiting the occurrence of false expectations, and increasing the likelihood of successful adoptions by offering pre-adoption counselling to help clients sort through the many factors in-volved in the process of successful pet selection. This program assists in preparing clients to take on the important tasks of puppy socialization and the management of the home learning environment, and educating new owners about the needs and behaviour of dogs. With the advent of therapy dogs participating in animal-assisted therapy programs in hospitals, and supporting mental health specialists in private offices, the use of canines in chiropractic settings has gained popularity over the past few years. A PATIENT’S EXPERIENCE WITH IVEY Ivey is a service dog and has been taught to perform specific tasks for me. As well as listening for the door bell in my clinic, Ivey also listens for strange sounds such as an overflowing cof-feemaker, Skype Internet phone call or someone knocking on the door. Outside of the office, she lets me know when to cross the crosswalk, whether there are bikers/runners behind me while I am on the trail or if there are cars passing by. She basically gets my attention by nudging me with her nose on my leg. But, at times, a service dog can wind up doubling for a ther-apy dog. I became a firm believer in the value of service dogs following an experience with a former patient. Upon arriving at the clinic, this patient always neglected to buzz the doorbell to indicate his presence. My dog, Ivey, would sense that someone was at the door, bark, search, then take me to the door. This patient was a very disturbed young man who would only talk to me through Ivey. While staring at Ivey, he would ramble on about the voices he heard in his head, which on occasion would tell him such things as to end his marriage. One day, when he whispered that he was smoking pot to cure his right wrist pain, Ivey put her left paw on his right arm and he broke out in tears. His wrist pain was treatable by means of chi -ropractic adjustments, muscle therapy (active release technique) and exercise therapy. But, only Ivey could reach deeper into him and help him with some of his other problems. I am happy to say the gentleman remains married and, from time to time, drops by the office only to see Ivey and give her dog treats. • For further information on obtaining service dogs, as well as be-coming more involved with animal assisted therapies, you can call 1-866-233-8242 or e-mail [email protected]. www.canadianchiropractor.ca Canadian ChiropraCtor | SEPTEMBER 2012 • 33
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