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Safety Tip
of the Month
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Understanding and recognizing if your
pet (or someone else's) may be feeling uneasy, or stressed is a=
way
to prevent an incident from happening in the first place. If you
are on a visit, and your dog (=
or
someone else's) is having an "off day" the best thing=
to
do is for that dog to end the visit. The dog can't tell us in a=
ny
other ways except body language. If you don't "hear"
them, the only option they have is to "talk" louder. =
If
someone notices that your pet is showing signs of stress, do not
take offense. Be
an advocate for all pets, and let them end=
the
visit and go home. There may be a medical reason for your
pet's feeling of unease. There will be other days to visit.
Keeping your pet's welfare is one of the most important things =
you
can do as a KPETS handler.
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Items still availble=
for Chrismas! ! !<=
o:p>
|
- KPETS Christmas Cards - designed =
by
our own Patty Rulli from AZ!
- Mystery Books by Margie Smith
and the gang at New Oxford Library.
Orders yours today in time for the
holidays. Visit the
KPETS=
Store
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My Little Girl<=
o:p>
- Lisa Miller&=
nbsp;
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|
I cherish our
time together
my sweet little girl
and me
Snuggling on the sofa
Just as happy as
two can be
Walking through our neighborhood
greeting passer by's
Bringing joy to everyone
So cute, so love, so shy
I play with you on
sunny days
laughing and running outdoors
I comfort you on
gloomy days
when it thunders
and it pours
I hold you tight when
you are scared
and stroke your
tiny head
I keep you very close
to me
When bad dreams
come to bed
I care for you and
keep you fed
and I hope you understand
You bring my life fulfillment
like not many
others can
We visit many people
and they spoil you
with treats
Loving you is easy
because you're gentle, kind and sweet
Camping is your
favorite sport
The beach was
lots of fun
You love boating
on the lake
and taking in a run
As we celebrate
your Birthdays
with smiles and
gifts galore
I long for the
distant moment
when we brought you through our door
I watch you grow
and see you age
as time has
changed your face
But you're still
my little girl and
here you'll always
have a place
It was tough when
the cancer came
Your future
so unknown
You beat the illness
so willing, so strong
without a single groan
I'm proud of you
my sweetie
and I'm so grateful for
your love
Your gentle soul and companionship
command thanks to
God above
I wonder if you realize
how precious you
are to me
I know that I'm
quite lucky
That our family
came to be
Still I'll never see
you graduate
or find that
special guy
I know that I'll
outlive you
and the day will
come to cry
Please know I'll
always love you
You are in my
heart to stay
My baby,
my beagle,
my Mandi
my child in
so many ways.
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|
Pet Birthdays
for December
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|
Sally Sage
Carney Hummel
Norman Heet
Indy Downing
Killian Hartman
Rockwell Rosser
Samie Gre=
enway
Brody Conner
Cadbury Houck
Cadbury McKelvy
Bristol Mitzel
Bob Carlson
Chester Rima
Posh Volkert
Curry Elkins
Hunter Noll
Jackie Bishop
Lucy Platzer<=
span
style=3D'font-size:8.0pt;line-height:150%;font-family:"Lucida B=
right","serif";
color:#7E3817'>
Please note: if we missed your pet's birthday it=
is
not intentional. It just means we have no date of birth on file=
. (The
default we put for those is 1/1/Year.
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An Important Message F=
rom:
&=
nbsp;Your
Safety and Quality Assurance Committee
|
|
The KPETS Safety
and Quality Assurance Committee has be=
en
notified of several concerns since its inception this
fall.
A recurring fac=
tor
we have noticed is that many of the concerns reported have
happened while a visit was wrapping up. Just because the team(s) are no longer interacting with
someone, this does not mean that the awareness of safety sho=
uld
stop. Remember, a visit is not "over" until your pet is
secured in its crate, or is back inside your vehicle. The team Safety Zone of
two feet should be observed at ALL times. If two
handlers are standing side by side with the dogs on the outs=
ide,
the two-foot Safety
Zone will be assured.
* As a reminder,
all KPETS handlers please sign and return the bottom of the safety
letter that was sent out to all members, no later than Dec 20th.*
Please contact Jenny at konnections@kpets.org
or call 888.685.7387 x 2 if you have any questions or misplaced y=
our
notice. *
An Exceptions sub-committee has been formed under =
the
Safety/Quality Assurance committee to address the allowance
of exceptions to the KPETS on-lead rule.
Some considerations we are looking into
are:
1. AAT teams on visits at a facility where th=
ey
are the only dog present in the building and being off-lead enabl=
es
them to do their jobs - i.e. retrieving.
2. Groups who are giving demonstrations or perform=
ances
(i.e. tricks, agility, freestyle, etc.) This exception would allow
one dog to be off-lead for its portion of the performance, and th=
en
must be immediately be put back on-lead before the next dog in the
group is allowed to be off-lead.
3. Handlers giving presentations or public speeches
where their dog will be the only one present. (i.e a single dog at a presentation to=
a
group, like the rotary club).
Details will be made available as things are
finalized. Questions may be directed to: Suzanne Solodky at =
ssolodky@verizon.net.
The committee has been working hard to develop
procedures and protocols that will keep every team safe when
visiting.
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Ways to Support K=
PETS
This Holiday Season<=
o:p>
|
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What if KPETS - Keystone Pets Enhanced Therapy
Services earned a donation every time you searched the Internet? =
Or
how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went =
to
support our cause? Well, now it can!
GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo=
-powered
search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a
penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it ju=
st
as you would any search engine, get quality search results from
Yahoo, and watch the donations add up! <=
/p>
GoodShop.com is a new online
shopping mall which donates up to 30 percent of each purcha=
se
to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon,
Target, Gap, Best Buy, eBay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have
teamed up with GoodShop and every tim=
e you
place an order, you'll be supporting your favorite cause.
And if you download the GoodS=
earch
- KPETS - Keystone Pets Enhanced Therapy Services toolbar, our ca=
use
will earn money every time you shop and search online - even if
you forget to go to GoodShop or <=
span
class=3DSpellE>GoodSearch first! Add the KPETS - Keystone =
Pets
Enhanced Therapy Services toolbar at http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/=
kpets-keystone-pets-enhanced-therapy-services
[Karen] =
I did
this and it is sooo easy. I was shopp=
ing
several places and a reminder popped up to tell me what=
%
would be donated when I purchased from that
specific vendor. Please, try it. Every search and many purch=
ases
will help support KPETS - with no effort at all :)
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KPETS at the Capitol <=
/span>- by
Nan Hanshaw<=
o:p>
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On September 28th,
the Pennsylvania State Animal Response Team
(PASART) held a p=
ress
conference at the State Capitol to promote Animal Disaster Prepar=
edness
Week in Pennsylvania. This week was designated to increase awaren=
ess
of the need to prepare for animals involved in natural disasters =
or
other emergencies. The month of September is National
Preparedness Month, so this event coincided with the national med=
ia
coverage.
|
![3Dsmidgen](3D"http://www.kpets.org/ccpics/smidgenmilitary.jpg")
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Smidgen at the
Capitol giving some well-earned therapy to military personnel. =
|
The PASART event =
was
held in the East Wing Rotunda of the main Capitol Building.In
Pennsylvania, we are fortunate to have PASART, which is now a
non-governmental, non-profit stand alone organization, funded
completely by homeland security grants.The
organization is made up of more than 60 county animal response te=
ams
(CARTS), with more than 1,000 volunteer members across the Commonwealth.These teams are equipped and t=
rained
to assist first responders such as police and fire departments in=
the
rescue and temporary sheltering of animals.
Nan Hanshaw is the
outgoing Chair of the PASART Board and unofficially made Smidgen =
the
PASART mascot and public relations representative at many events =
over
the past several years. At the Capitol, Smidgen schmoozed wi=
th
the House of Representatives members who support PASART, along wi=
th
the Secretary of Agriculture and the Director of PEMA.She
got pats from each of them and provided a few discrete kisses
whenever she could. Smidgen wore her Therapy Dog vest and wa=
s a
good ambassador for KPETS.She enjoyed
showing off in front of the TV camera until it was her turn at the
podium - she then turned her backside to the camera. There was a
lovely water fountain that caught her attention, and she wanted to
savor the view. Fame obviously isn't important to her.
But she got a lot of laughs from the crowd, broke the tension, and
she did well in helping teach people about the strength of the
human-animal bond and the good work that therapy dogs do every da=
y.
If anyone in KPET=
S is
interested in joining a local CART, information is available at <=
/span>www.pasart.us.
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F=
arm
Show January 2011
|
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|
It's hard to believe, but another year has rolled =
by and
it's time to schedule participants for the "Discover What Do=
gs
Can Do" learning station, part of the Farm Show Detectives
Educational Program.
The 2011 Farm Show will be held January 8-15. =
; As
before, they would like for our dogs to fill two-hour shifts=
when ever possible each day between 9 =
am-7
pm. Closing ceremonies will be held on Saturday the 15th,
so they will not schedule any dogs past the 1-3 pm shift.
If you are interested in participating this year or
know of someone who would like to volunteer, please contact Jill
Brownfield directly as soon as possible at 717-214-3758 or jbrownfield@state.pa.us
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KPETS in
Arizona &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p;
=
- Patty Rulli
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|
I had such a great visit at the school. Wanting to
inspire the kids I came up with an idea to give the kids personal
pocket journals. The counselor gave me their names, so I personal=
ized
each one with their names. I had one student help me hand th=
em
out and asked them not to open until everyone had one. I had phot=
os
done of Luke with his KPETS scarf and vest on and then laminated =
the
wallets. On the inside flap of the journal I placed his picture
inside. I attached the picture so that when they were done with o=
ne
journal, the picture could be removed and placed in another.
I explained that I use a journal to write everythi=
ng
down including bad days, songs, poems, books that inspire, or
just as a way to clear my thoughts.
Then with Tina and Norman's help we gave each chil=
d a
special pen and book light. One child asked if he could pick the
color of his journal and I told him that Luke had done that for t=
hem.
When that child received his journal, he said that Luke picked his
favorite color....The best was watching the kids thank the dogs..=
.the
joy in my boy Luke's face was priceless.=
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Carlisle's Toys for To=
ts
Parade &n=
bsp;
- by Bob & Sue Walsh
|
|
|
![3D"http://www.kpets.org/ccpics/tonka.jpg"](3D"http://www.kpets.org/ccpics/tonka.jpg") On Sat. Nov 27 Tonka participated in Carlisle's To=
ys
for Tots parade. The weather was cold and windy - just like
Tonka likes it - but it did deter some less hardy folks from
attending the parade. We had a good time along with so=
me
other therapy dog friends from TDI. Four dogs
marched and two rode on a trailer to entertain the peop=
le
who braved the elements. Our goal is to make people more aw=
are
of our serivce to the community and w=
e had
a great time doing it.
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&=
nbsp;Hershey
Medical Center -
Kristin Platzer
|
|
|
Hi! My name is Kristin and this is my dog Lucy. Sh=
e loves
visiting people.
![3DLucy](3D"http://www.kpets.org/ccpics/lucy.jpg")
Recently, I was able to visit a friend's son who was in a horrible
car accident. He is healing, but has a long way to go, and is
struggling with a brain injury among other things. Almost immedia=
tely
upon approaching him he began petting Lucy. He seemed to recognize
who I was. His mother requested that Lucy sit on his lap, and she
did. I asked him if he liked puppy kisses, to which he replied ye=
s,
and so I (gently) allowed her to stand on his lap and sniff his f=
ace
and try to give him kisses. He was positive in his response to th=
is,
and replied something to the effect that his (neck) collar was in=
the
way. He continued petting her throughout the visit. The hope/effo=
rt
is trying to get his brain functioning normally again, even if it=
is
just a little piece at a time. Of course making him smile is an e=
xtra
added bonus!
On another recent visit we were visiting a care facility, and met=
a
lady who obviously had mental and physical difficulties. I usually
hold Lucy up to the people we visit, since she is little. The
resident immediately began petting Lucy as best as she was able, =
and
stuck her face right up to Lucy's face. I warned her that she mig=
ht
get puppy kisses, and she began repeating something to the effect=
of
"Love puppy kisses". She continued to do this for some
time, while Lucy patted her, nuzzled her, and gave her kisses. The
resident also was smiling. She did not interact much with me, but
obviously enjoyed Lucy.
When I rejoined the KPETS member (Mary), with
whom I was visiting, I was told that in the four years Mary had b=
een
visiting this resident, she had never seen this resident react li=
ke
this to a visit; she typically reacted little, if at all, and
sometimes was crying. Mary later emailed me the following -"I
wanted to tell you again that your experience with the woman on t=
he
2nd floor was significant- I've been visiting her for four years =
and
she has never said a word , and in fac=
t has
always been quite passive. The fact that she responded so strongl=
y to
you and Lucy and actually repeated the word "puppy, puppy&qu=
ot;
several times was amazing to me! I let the nursing staff know what
happened and they were surprised as well."
Moments like these are the highlights of why Lucy and I enjoy pet
therapy. It feels so good to make a real difference to someone,
especially someone who is suffering in some way.
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|
For Those Who Vi=
sit
With Cats <=
o:p>
|
|
|
There is a prod=
uct
on the market called Feliway which yo=
u may
want to have in your visiting bag. Fel=
iway
is a pheremone which is available fro=
m your
veterinarian. It can be helpful if your cat becomes stressed or u=
pset
during a visit. It is a synthetic copy of the feline facial pheremone used by cats to mark their territ=
ory as
safe and secure. By mimicking the cat's natural pheremone
the product creates a state of familiarity and security in cat's
immediate environment. As a result,
Feliway can be used to help comfort a=
nd reasure cats while they cope with a challen=
ging
situation and help prevent or reduce stress. It is available as a
spray, and can be applied to a towel and placed in or over your c=
at's
carrier or crate should they encounter a stressful situation duri=
ng a
visit.
|
|
Out of the Mouths of
Babes! =
; - C=
indy
Stewart<=
o:p>
|
|
|
![3D"http://www.kpets.org/ccpics/jackstewart.jpg"](3D"http://www.kpets.org/ccpics/jackstewart.jpg") Jack and I were "visiting" at Ronald
McDonald House. I was talking with a mom while three little girls
were playing with Jack. He laid down and they were petting his big
barrel chest- and noticing his KPETS
vest. I overheard one little girl say "I really like Jack. H=
is
chest is so big, though. I wonder why that is??" One of=
the
others children replied to her, "Oh, that's because
his heart is so big!"
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|
KPETS' Rosie becomes an
International TV
Star! =
-by Joan S=
mith
|
|
When the Korean Broadcasting System decided to
document how libraries around the world operate, arrangements were
made to film on location in Japan, Nepal, New York City - and Mou=
nt
Joy, PA. (The Milanof-Schock Library =
in
Mount Joy was voted the Best Small Library in America in 2006.) W=
hile
the KBS team was at the library for two days, they observed
several activities and filmed a few of them. Part of the
documentary included filming children who participate in the 'Rea=
d to
Rosie' program with KPETS team Joan Smith and Rosie. After observ=
ing
the children, the cameraman, Jaeduk <=
span
class=3DSpellE>Seo, filmed Isaac reading one of his favori=
te
books to Rosie by standing outside the room with the camera aimed
through a window. Next, using the KBS Location Manager, Edward Na=
m,
of Seoul, South Korea as an interpreter, their reporter interview=
ed
Isaac (holding the book in the picture). A few questions and answ=
ers
were:
<=
span
style=3D'font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#7E3817'>Q. How=
did
you find out about the Read to Rosie program?![3DRosieTV](3D"http://www.kpets.org/ccpics/rosie1.jpg")
<=
span
style=3D'font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#7E3817'>A. One=
of my
friends does this and my mom thought it would be fun for me.
<=
span
style=3D'font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#7E3817'>Q. How=
do
you like reading with Rosie?
<=
span
style=3D'font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#7E3817'>A. I w=
as
afraid of her at first, but Rosie is so nice. Now I sit right nex=
t to
her and she licks my face.
<=
span
style=3D'font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#7E3817'>Q. Has=
the
program helped your reading?
<=
span
style=3D'font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#7E3817'>A. I a=
m reading
much better. It's fun to come here and now my two brothers are
reading with Ben the cat, too.
<=
span
style=3D'font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#7E3817'>The
documentary is expected to air on KBS TV in mid-December, and Mr.=
Nam
promised to send the library a DVD. While KPETS was a small part =
of
their research preparing for the final documentary, it was fun to
meet these gentleman and spend a few minutes talking with them ab=
out
their part of the world, what their impression of Lancaster County
was and especially see how interested they were with how we use a=
dog
to keep children interested in reading.
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![3D"http://www.kpets.org/ccpics/logobannerpodsmall.jpg"](3D"http://www.kpets.org/ccpics/logobannerpodsmall.jpg")
<=
/p>
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