Power of Wagging Tails — Wheaten Style in Toronto
My friend Marlene whose amazing stories about her incredible therapy dog Mitsu in The Power of Wagging Tails sent me this wonderful article about another therapy dog Shaynee. Shaynee is a wheaten terrier who gives healing magic to patients in Toronto. Watch the video below and you’ll soon be smiling from Shaynee’s healing power, too!
In case you think the smiles a therapy dog brings offer only temporary benefit, check out this excerpt about Mitsu’s work from The Power of Wagging Tails:
The effects from therapy dog visits last longer than just the few minutes spent between dog and human. A research study of older nursing home residents, aged 67 to
94 years, found that including therapy dog visits resulted in residents becoming more interested in themselves, fellow residents, and their surroundings (Kawamura et al., 2009). These results come as no surprise to Marlene Miller. For Marlene’s mother-in-law, 89-year-old Dorothy Miller, visits from Marlene’s Keeshond therapy dog, Mitsu, helped brighten her day and gave her an easy way to get involved with her fellow retirement home residents. Dorothy and her husband had always been a team, but when he died five years ago, Dorothy found herself alone. Marlene recalled to me how Mitsu helped fill an important hole in Dorothy’s life:Mitsu and handler Marlene proudly receive St. John's Ambulance therapy dog certification
“Mom was very social when she was with her husband. But being the only one left can be very sad. All that changed when I started bringing Mitsu to visit. Suddenly, Tuesday evenings became the time when everyone wanted to come visit Dorothy and my beautiful Mitsu. Mitsu became a bit of a status symbol for Mom, and there was never a problem for Mom making conversation—everyone wanted to know all about Mitsu! In the days between visits, other ladies would invite Mom to join them for chats and tea, with talk often turning to tales about Mitsu. Suddenly, Mom felt like an important member of a community again, rather than the only one in her family who was left.”
(Chapter 1)
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Books by Dr. Marcus
