Hospice News

Therapy Dogs Enrich Lives of Hospice Patients

West Orange, NJ -- Dog owners will have a chance to test their pet’s “people skills” at the Barnabas Health Hospice and Palliative Care Center’s 3rd Annual October Tails Halloween-themed dog walk by completing the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen® test. The test will be administered by Barbara Nagy, Founder, Patience Unlimited Professional Dog Training, LLC. Advanced registration is not required. The fee for testing is $10 per dog.  Owners will receive a certificate following successful competition of the test.

Any dog successful in completing the test may be a good candidate for therapy work in the Paws for Patients program of the Barnabas Health Hospice and Palliative Care Center. The program, which is funded solely through donor support, is available to hospice patients, free of charge. Each “team,” comprised of a dog and its owner, makes visits to patients at home, in a hospital, assisted living facility or nursing home.

The Canine Good Citizen® test consists of ten individual testing scenarios for owners and their dogs:

·        Test 1: Accepting a friendly stranger

·        Test 2: Sitting politely for petting

·        Test 3: Appearance and grooming

·        Test 4: Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)

·        Test 5: Walking through a crowd

·        Test 6: Sit and down on command and Staying in place

·        Test 7: Coming when called

·        Test 8: Reaction to another dog

·        Test 9: Reaction to distraction

·        Test 10: Supervised separation

October Tails is a family event featuring prizes for best dogs in costume; children’s activities and a poster contest; agility demonstrations; vendors, and more. It will be held on Sunday, October 24, from 1:00 – 4:30 p.m. at Verona Park in Verona, NJ. A portion of the proceeds from October Tails benefits the Barnabas Health Hospice and Palliative Care Center’s Paws for Patients canine therapy program. For more information about the Barnabas Health Hospice and Palliative Care Center or October Tails event, please visit www.barnabashealthhospice.org or call 973-322-4792.

For more information about the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen® test, please visit http://www.akc.org/events/cgc/training_testing.cfm

For more information about Patient Unlimited, LLC, please call
973-338-0831 or visit www.patienceunlimited.com

Date: August 11, 2010

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