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The power of human/animal bond

This is a recent New York Times Article about how a golden retriever named Devon is helping a returning veteran deal with post traumatic stress disorder. The power of human/animal bond in providing secure attachment and healing is rapidly becoming a hot topic that will hopefully generate more research.  Part of my internship for a Masters in Counseling will involve study in attachment theory. To my total delight, my internship sites value the healing presence of a dog in the counseling venue and I’ve been encouraged to  bring one of my therapy dogs – either Irei or Tess –  with me.

I’ll also be able to use my equine facilitated psychotherapy work toward  internship credit. If you are unfamiliar with the healing power of the Horse as co-facilitator in the counseling and growth/learning process, I invite you to check out the website for  my 501c3 non-profit:   Work of Heart: Horse as Mentor that I share with psychiatrist, Nancy Coyne (www.workofheart.net).

I’m having some difficulty getting this article to automatically open for you, so please cut the URL and paste into your browser. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/us/loyal-companion-helps-a-veteran-with-post-traumatic-stress-disorder.html

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Agility Trial Success!!

This past weekend I competed with Moet in a CPE (Canine Performance Events) trial in Portland, ME. We entered 8 classes and earned 8 qualifying scores, 7 of which were 1st and 2nd places!  What that translates into was that my dog was able to shift from  handler or  obstacle focus  as I  asked her to,  and she read  my cues ( that I gave accurately)  with ease.  We had speed,  no faults,  a couple close calls that required more information from me for her to complete her weaves. I played with her  in an exuberant, goofy way following each run  so she learns that a job well done yields fun time with me. She ran joyfully and with confidence,  and we both had a great time being in the company of the other.