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KPETS Keynotes<= /span>

Newsletter by Keystone Pet Enhanced Therapy Services = ; July 2011

Mark Your Kalendar!

Knights of Columbus Golf Tournament

Four Seasons, Lancaster

August 13. Need golfers and Hole Sponsors. See b= elow for more details

Round Table Breakfast

Saturday, July 9

BYOB - Bring Your Own Breakfast! 9 am =

Blair Room, in the KPETS office building. RSVP to Jenny at konnections@kpets.org

Bow Wow Bingo: Every Friday night through Labor Day Weekend

Bow Wow Brown Bag Bingo

Sunday, Sept 4

Circle M Campground,

Millersville, PA

Adella does an awesome job for our LARGEST fundraiser ever. But we'll need all the help we can get to pull this one off. We'll need volunteers to help set up, work the ev= ent and help tear down! Please, if you can help contact <= /o:p>

konnections@kpets.org

Pet Grief Support Group: Every third Thursday at Fred F Groff, 234 W Ora= nge Street, Lancaster. 6:30 - 7:30 pm

Light refresments. No charge. Just rsvp to lizkhoff@gmail.com or call 717-397-8255

EXTREMELY Important Links

Please check out the Open = Visit Requests

Log your v= olunteer hours here!

&nb= sp;KPETS= Forum

&nb= sp;Previous N= ewsletters

KPETS Blog=

KPETS= Kalendar

Visit= us on Facebook

If you have trouble or want to review prev= ious KEYNOTES, they are available on the website at ww= w.kpets.org

under the ABOUT tab.

ATTENTION <= o:p>

ALL GOLFERS ! ! ! !

KPETS / Knights of Columbus Golf Tournament

The Knights of Columbus are generously putting together the KPETS G= olf Tounament to be held at Four Seasons Golf Course on Saturday, August 13.

Why not put together a foursome and join us! Registration is from 11-11= :45 am with Noon shotgun start. Event includes lunch, golf,&nb= sp;a great dinner, prizes and fun for all. <= /p>

Tell y= our golfing friends! Or if you know of a business who may like to b= e a hole sponsor, let us know! Click= here for the event flyer and details about sponsorship and signing up a = golf team.

Even if you 're not a golfer, you can always join us for the dinner at = the end of the round. It's great food and that's when all the prize winners are announced too!

Hope to see you there!

Links of Interets

10 In= spiring Animal Assisted Therapy Programs

9 way= s Your Pet Makes You Healthier <= /span>

Hyper= Active Dog Holding You Back from Pursuing Your Pet Therapy Goal?

Dates of Interest

Orientations:

Tues, July 12 7 pm,
Upperco, MD

Sat, July 16 9 am, York

Sat, July 23 10 am,
     Oxford

Sat, Aug 13 9 am, Lanc

Sun, Sept 25 1pm,      Palmyra

Workshops:

One-time Sessions:
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July 19 - Lancaster

July 25 - York<= /span>

July 26 - Palmyra

Aug 2 - Upperco MD

Aug 23 - Lancaster

5 wk Training/Workshop:

Starts J= uly 17, Lanc

AAT Study at LGH<= o:p>

KPETS Board Member, Dr. Peggy Nepps along with LGH conducted a study to measu= re the effects of AAT in 218 hospitalized psychiatric patients.&nb= sp; more= . . .

One Good Schleck!<= o:p>

K= PETS First Cruising for a Cause - Loads of fun!<= /a>

Brother's Pizza in Hanover...

On Saturday, June 25th, KPETS had their first ever Cruise for a Cause event. It was held in Hanover, PA at Brother's Pizza. We had 15 fabulous cars, from 1934-2006, registe= r. It was a great turnout for our first event, considering we had ma= ny other large events going on at the same time. <= /span>

Many KPETS volunteers came out to enjoy the evening and donate their time to work many of the tables we had set up. K= ids were able to enter a coloring contest; and many yummy baked goods, provided by our very own KPETS members, were on hand for snacks. Dinner was pizza, subs or salads made by Brother's Pizza and dess= ert was refreshing snowballs.

As some volunteers danced to the music with their dogs, visitors watched. Others wandered throughout the parking lot taking in the beautiful cars and trucks on display.

The evening ended with KPETS bringing in over $400= for the evening! Thank you to all the volunteers who made this first event possible. We couldn't have done it without you! We can't wa= it till next year's second annual, bigger and better, Cruise for a Cause!

J= oin us this Saturday for

V= olunteer Roundtable Breakfast

9 am July 9 Blair Room, in the KPETS Office Building

Come to the BYOB (Bring Your Own Breakfast) Volunt= eer Roundtable for some great konnecting time with other KP= ETS volunteers - and those in the process of becoming KPETS teams. This time we'll pull up the forum and take a look, answ= er any questions you may have, and chat about what you've all been up to. I know several have mentioned discussing AAT ideas, so we can look into that, as well. ( That topic can be expanded by inviting therapists we have worked with, but I didn't get a chanc= e to do that for this time )

So RSVP to Jenny and BYOB for a nice morning= of KPETS Kamaraderie!

In = the Public Eye - = By Sheree Dietz, ABCDT<= o:p>

How do you represent KPETS?

Do those you vi= sit see you and your dog as a well-bonded 3DWatchme
working team? Are your words and actions toward your dog positive, encouraging and kind? These are important guidelines to remember anytime you are working with your beloved therapy dog. Teams shou= ld enjoy their work together and set a high standard for therapy dog work everywhere. Here are some tips to remember as you serve KPET= S:

Remember - others are watching you and form their opinions about our organization by the way you handle yourself and your dog.&nb= sp;
Speak politely to your dog and those you meet.
Learn and use positive training techniques. KPETS training classes will enhance your skills with your dog and teach you how to control him/her in a pleasant and productive manner.
A happy, pleasant voice resonates loudly in your dog's ears wh= ile harsh words can cause a deaf ear.
Control your dog with calm, firm body language (taught in our classe= s).
Rough or angry handling of your dog appears as if we do not have well-trained dogs and does not represent therapy work in <= ![endif]>a good light.
Find ways to bond with your dog by having lots of fun together outside of therapy visiting. Consider getting involved in agility, rally, fly ball, freestyle, etc. These are fun ways= of playing and learning that your dog will surely enjoy and you will learn how to motivate him/ her in positive ways.
If you are having a specific problem with your dog, seek a professional trainer who uses positive methods to help you enhance your handling abilities.
Your dog should be enjoying his work as much as you do. Watch for signs of stress. If you encounter a problem with your dog th= at can not be easily remedied, simply end your visit for that d= ay.
As you receive eager-to-please eye contact from your dog, people will notice the unique and special bond that you possess. Th= ey will look forward to regular visits from you.

BE A PLEASANT SIGHT IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER!

What KPETS is all about ! !

If = you look at our Kalendar, there is so much going on, I can't keep up with writing about the events AND posting them. I need your hel= p. If you attend an event or have a heart-warming pet therapy stor= y, please send them to blogger@kpets.org. We'l= l post them on the KPETS= Tails blog and add a link to them in the newsletter too.=

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Here are a few . . .

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Bugs Bugs and more Bugs - by Laura Whitman

The= se weren't the annoying kind of bugs, but the fun kind at Camp Lad= ybug in Elizabethtown. KPETS was invited back again for the 4th year= .

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Nan= cy Campbell/Holly, Troy Conner/Brody, Todd Dohner/Benelli, Cathy Farr/Sophie, Sally Henry/Tryp and Laura Whitman/Lola participat= ed this year. We started the program talking about KPETS, then eac= h of us spoke a few minutes about our dogs and answered questions. <= /span>

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We = even had three "unofficial" animals participate - three wi= ld mallard ducks. Tryp sure was interested in what they were doing= ! We played "cheerio" toss and set up a short agility cour= se and raced the kids against the dogs. It came out a tie as to who won. We then finished up with petting and questions. The = kids and the teams all had a great time. Maybe we'll be invited back for year number five next year!

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L= ibrary - by 'Maggie' Althouse

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Hi I'm Maggie. My family (Bill & Sue Althouse) rescued = me from Delaware Golden Retriever Rescue when I was 14 months old. Now I am 5 years old. Even though I am in char= ge at home and I like to trim bushes, look for bunnies and birdies= and tell everyone what to do, my mommy noticed that I have a sweet = and innocent side to me. So, she decided to have me registere= d as a KPETS therapy dog.

Now, when = I go out to work, I wear a special yellow scarf and my sweet and innocent side comes out. We go to visit a retired person named Helen who calls me "her girl". I also go = to the Mountville Library for the KPETS reading program. Children who read can come to read to me and other dogs and cats. I love greeting the whole family and relax while the children read to me. I love hearing their voices and havi= ng them pet me. I even roll over on my back and they can pet my belly.

My mommy a= sked one of them, Sophia, why she likes reading to the pets. S= he said, "It's because she's an animal. She's cute, and she's patient, and she always listens when I read to her. = She doesn't say, 'I have to do this or that instead' like a person would." I guess that makes me pretty special! :)

Y= MCA YDay - JoEllen Meyer<= o:p>

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On June 29 and 30, 2011, several KPETS teams prese= nted a program to Yday campers at the Lebanon Valley YMCA. Cam= pers watched a DVD presentation about KPETS. They listened to a book about a therapy dog, "Lady, One Incredible Dog."

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Then each = team shared about their dog, breed, etc; where their team does pet therapy visits, and "wowed" the children with tricks = and funny outfits. The children asked questions, then enjoyed time petting the dogs.

Thank you = to the following teams for their participation - Lola and Laura Whitman, Susie Q and Patti Jo Hibshman, Sophie and Kathy Farr, Carnie and Linda Hummel, and Edgar and Jo Ellen Meyer.

B= ONDING BOOMERS AND BOW WOWS - Nancy Bouder

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On = June 4th Garden Spot Village, New Holland, PA held its first ENCORE-= THE FESTIVAL celebrating vitality and wellness for the boomers and above group. The festival was focused on staying healthy and vi= tal as we enter the second half of our lives.

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It = was an all-day event with speakers, music, vendors and artisans dea= ling with various subjects from going green to building a strong community and giving back through volunteering. What better way= to achieve that purpose than becoming a pet therapy team. We had o= ur booth there all day manned by Karen Gerth, Winnie Gerlach, Irene Lehan, Kate Dommel, Terri Wilner, Amanda Scudner, Tammy Mankey & John Aiken; and they all brought their team bow wows who captured the attention and hearts of those walking by.

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As = this was the first year for the festival, the crowd seemed sparse at times, but hopefully next year more boomers will have gotten the word about this worthwhile event and realize the importance of staying young through giving and maybe we can again show them t= he rewards connected with the KPETS therapy services. <= /span>

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Tha= nks so much to all who helped and a special thanks to Tammy and John for helping to tear down. - Nancy Bouder